The Faded Ones
by Piont23
Summary: When Celia discovers a world like none she's ever known, she's given a prophecy she's not sure she'll be able to face, even with the help of her new friends at Camp Half-Blood.
1. I - Celia

Celia

Celia bolted upright in bed, soaked in a cold sweat. She couldn't remember any details of her nightmare, other than the harsh laughter of a man and woman. She glanced at her alarm clock, and groaned at the time. It was only 4:00 A.M. She still had two hours before she was supposed to get up, but there was no way she getting back to sleep now. She dragged herself out of bed and slipped into her pig slippers as she wrapped herself in her wooly robe.

She stumbled down the stairs, still incredibly tired. She wandered out into her front yard just as the first light of the morning licked at the treetops around her. It was a beautiful morning in Waukesha Wisconsin, perfect for gardening. Watering can in hand, she approached the first flowerbed. Though the season for most of her flowers was ending, she wanted them to have a good life until the day they wilted. She was excited for summer, though. Soon enough the yard would be bursting with tomatoes, basil, and even watermelons.

"So, Penelope, how are you?" she asked a particularly brightly colored peony. "Oh, well, that's nice." Though scientists seemed to think talking to plants didn't do any good, Celia swore that her plants were in a better mood after a quick chat. "I hear Jessica's going to be sprouting soon? Good, good. I'm so glad you're having another. You're a great mom!" Celia wished she could the same about her own mother, but the mystery woman had left as soon as she was born. Her dad did his best, but it wasn't easy to work a full time job and raise a teenage girl on your own. Oftentimes Celia woke up to an empty house and a note on the counter saying he had been called into work early. Things were better now that she was thirteen and she could take care of herself, but nothing was ever easy.

After a lot of discussion about seed distribution and how to properly raise a sprout, Celia realized she had been gardening for nearly three hours. She cursed under her breath and ran into her house, randomly pulling clothes on; a pair of torn jeans and a neon green t-shirt. Quickly doing her hair in a messy bun, she grabbed a bagel out of the cupboard and scarfed it down. She jumped on her bike and pedaled furiously down the street.

She arrived at the school already five minutes late and chained her bike to the rack. Celia went to the STEM Academy, a charter school her dad had insisted on. It was supposed to be full of innovative ideas and revolutionary new teaching concepts, but all of the teachers tried way too hard to make their courses different, and all of Celia's classes ended up really weird and illogical. She would have asked to switch schools, maybe, but all of her friends were here, and her final year of school there was almost over. She zoomed down the hall, backpack still on, and into her science classroom.

Celia really should have loved science. Their unit was on studying soil, and as a gardener, what could be better, right? Wrong. The unit wasn't about gardening, it was about different types of soil and layers of soil and organic matter. The fact that her teacher was incredibly boring sin t help. Mr. Nomso thought he was the nice guy, super fun and exciting. But two days into the course he said he was done being nice. Considering he hadn't been nice to begin with, it was clear stuff wouldn't end well for the class. Now only two weeks were left in school, and science was becoming slightly more bearable as they continued to move towards the light at the end of the tunnel.

"Ms. Demos," Mr. Nomso said in his monotone nasally voice. "You are very late for class. Did you check in at the office?"

"Of course," she lied. She didn't feel like walking down to the office through the bright orange and green halls with quotes painted on them and random words like STRENGTH and PERSEVERANCE.

"Well, I am sorry to tell you this tardy is going on your permanent record," he explained in a fake disappointed tone. But Celia wasn't paying attention. Her eyes were locked on what was sitting in the window.

"Did you finally actually plant stuff? In the ten minutes I wasn't here? Seriously?" Celia exclaimed, seeing the planter boxes in the windows that seemed to be full of different types of grain.

Mr. Nomso looked at the crops. "Those have always been there."

"But-" Celia started to object. There was no way those were always there. She would have noticed.

"Ms. Demos, please sit."

Deciding it didn't really matter, she plopped down next to her three best friends. "Where were you?" August asked. He was a bit of a know-it-all, but he was nice when it came down to it.

"I was just a little distracted,"

Diane stared at her from across the table, cocking her head the way she always did when she didn't believe something. "Are you sure there wasn't more to it?" she asked, her intelligent green eyes scanning Celia's face.

Zoey elbowed Diane, wiggling her eyebrows as she brushed her blond hair out of her face. "Oh, I'm sure there was a lot to it. A _lot._"

"Oh, shut up." Celia knew that when Zoey and Diane were together they did some crazy stuff. Celia opened her science book. To her surprise, a note was folded up inside. _How did that get there?_ she wondered, given that their books were always in their lockers and no one knew her combination. She unfolded it and gasped. The note said only word.

_RUN._

August looked at her in concern. "Are you okay, Celia?" She must have looked worried.

"I'm fine," she mumbled as she sat on the note. She didn't know why but she felt like it should stay a secret. She glanced around to see who could have put it there. She suddenly noticed Willow Redd staring at her from across the room. Her eyes said the same thing the note did. She even motioned toward the door. Though a little creeped out, she turned back to her book.

"Mr. Nomso, may I use the restroom?" Willow asked, raising her hand.

"Not now," he replied curtly.

"Then when?"

"After the lesson," he barked. "Today we are learning about different types of grain." As he said this, Celia could have sworn his face started rippling like a puddle. She blinked and shook her head and the vision vanished. "Grain comes in many forms. Amaranth, buckwheat, millet, quinoa..." His face was definitely fluctuating now. And changing color. Were his front teeth getting longer? Why did no one else seem to notice? "...sorghum, barley, corn, and of course, wheat." That's when the room erupted.

First the planter boxes in the window burst open, spewing out toddler sized demons with dark green skin pecked with grain and thin, leathery wings. Their eyes glowed green and they gnashed their fangs as they chased after students. Next Mr. Nomso fell apart. As in, he literally fell apart into a pile of the snarling little beasts. One that was slightly larger than the others climbed to the top of the heap and cried out, "Celia Demos!" Its lumpy features twisted into an impish grin. "Your time has come."


	2. II - Willow

Willow

Well, this was just fabulous.

She had tried to get Celia out of there before the karpoi attacked. Things would have been so much simpler. But _no,_ the Fates just had to make things difficult.

Now she was dealing with nearly all of the karpoi. Even Kañiwa was here. He never showed up in public! She had to get all of the mortals out of the way so she could fight them.

Luckily the karpoi did it for her. Each of them turned into a whirlwind of dust and seeds, spinning around the students so fast that they passed out from lack of oxygen. All but three. Diane Lauma, Zoey Clet, and August Krommer were all conscious. Unfortunately, that mean they knew that they were being dragged across the floor by Rice, Rye, and Oats.

"Beware, demigod! If you try to resist your friends are history," the large karpoi said.

"I don't know what you're talking about! Who are you?" Celia screamed.

The monster sighed. "We are the karpoi! Grain spirits! I am Einkorn, the eldest of my brothers. Why has no one ever heard of us?" There were disgruntled murmurs among the little monsters. "Relax, relax. Surely the remember us after today. The day we revolt against our mistress!" They bared their teeth and growled.

"You would go against Demeter?" Willow shouted at them, turning some heads. "Why, when she has only ever been good to you?"

"Ha! Demeter, good to Barley? Demeter never good to Barley. No one ever good to Barley," a tiny karpoi complained, then burst into green colored tears. With a final sob, he collapsed into a pile of Chex Mix.

"Forgive him. Barley's still just a baby," said a new karpoi as he stepped forward. "The point is, Demeter never praised us for our good work. She merely casts us aside and treated us like children. We will show her who's grown up!"

With that, the karpoi lunged as one.

Celia shrieked and thrust up her hands to shield herself. A wave of energy rolled off her palms and through the grain spirits, who gasped as it hit them in turn. They levitated in midair for just a second, before they all exploded at once, denting the walls the force of the cereal debris.

"How did you do that?" Willow asked.

"I - I don't know," Celia said, staring at her hands in disbelief.

A sudden slithering noise drew their eyes to the floor, where a mound of cereal had formed itself into the head of Mr. Nomso. "You have not won," it spoke in the voices of all the karpoi at once. "Our masters have many more tricks up their sleeves. And though we may not escape with our desired prize, we shall hold onto something that may be even more valuable."

The head collapsed. "What was that?" Zoey asked, bewildered. Diane apparently was too in shock to speak. August picked up a piece of cereal in wonder.

"I've read about these guys in books. They're a Greek myth," he explained.

"That doesn't make any sense," Celia said, somewhat to herself. "If they're just a myth, how are they here?"

"I'll explain later," Willow said. "But first things first, getting you guys home."

_Oh, they are never going home. _A disembodied voice echoed through the classroom. _They shall be my new pets._

The grains suddenly started wrapping around Diane, Zoey, and August. They screamed and tried brushing them off, but the bits of cereal just latched onto their hands. Celia tried to run into help, but Willow held her back. "Three losses are enough for one day," she muttered under her breath, but Celia didn't hear her. She kept fighting and screaming to be let go as her friends were smothered in grain, but Willow was far stronger.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the cocoons of cereal were complete. _Mine,_ the voice whispered. With that, Celia's friends fell dissolved into Cheerios and Special K.

"No!" she shrieked, falling to her knees.

Willow let her sob for exactly three seconds. Then she tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey. We've got to go before any more monsters show up." Celia stood up with a severity that surprised Willow.

"Do you even feel?" she spit in Willow's face. "Do you understand that I need to grieve before you whisk me off to wherever you're even taking me?"

Willow sighed. "Look, your friends might not even be dead. But there's only one way to know for sure."

A glimmer of hope appeared in Celia's eyes, though it was heavily masked by depression. "Then how?" she asked. "What are we supposed to do?"

"I'm taking you to Camp Half-Blood," Willow said as she shouldered her backpack. "And we're going to meet Nico di Angelo.


	3. III - Anthony

Anthony

Anthony Mimir quite simply didn't understand the clarinet.

He'd never had trouble with a musical instrument like this before. He had mastered the tuba in a week, the viola in just three days, and the ukulele in under an hour.

But the clarinet had him stumped.

He had hidden under the pine tree next to Peleus, the dragon, because he was the only one who didn't mind listening to some seriously bad clarinet music.

He was about to attempt _Twinkle Twinkle Little Star_ for the thirteenth time when none other than Rachel Dare, the oracle of Delphi, charged through the gate next to him,a bright red harpy fluttering around her. She looked relieved when she spotted him sitting in the shadows. "Tony!" she called, rushing over to him. "We have to get to Chiron. We have big news. Would you bring Will to the Big House? Thanks." Just like that, she was running down the hill away from him, the harpy spewing random lines about cornucopias and lyres.

Anthony sighed and got to his feet. He figured if she was back from New Rome so soon, it could only mean one thing.

She had decoded a prophecy from the Sibylline books.

This would be major news, and given that Will Solace was the head camper of the Apollo cabin, god of prophecies, it would certainly be good to have him there when they revealed it. And so, Anthony strolled down the hill towards Cabin #7, humming a lighthearted tune all the way.

Before he entered the cabin, he just took a moment to admire the beauty and craftsmanship of the cabin. Since he had arrived a year ago, a few months before the war with Gaea ended, he had often enjoyed playing his saxophone outside the cabin while bathing in its golden light. At night, it appeared to be a simple log cabin, but when the sunlight hit it it gleamed like solid gold.

When he pushed open the heavy door he wasn't surprised to see his brother, Will, stealing a kiss with his new boyfriend Nico di Angelo. They broke it off as soon as he entered, trying to pretend it hadn't happened, but the rosy red of Nico's blush against his pale skin told the whole story.

"What's up, Tony?" Will asked, standing and straightening out his orange camp shirt.

"Rachel's back with Ella. I think they've figured out a prophecy." Will was out of the door before Anthony had even finished, but at the last second he turned back.

"You guys should come too. I don't want you getting into any trouble while I'm gone," he told them, coming back in and grabbing Nico by the wrist.

"I'm not a baby, I can take care of myself," Nico said, pulling his hand from Will's, trying and failing to hide his smile.

"Whatever. Just come on. You too, Anthony," Will called back to him.

"What? Why me?"

Will gave him an exasperated expression. "Let's face it. You were always the best at understanding prophecies before..." Will's comment petered out. It was a delicate subject in the Apollo cabin. Ever since the sight of the oracle was clouded, none of the Apollo kids could see the future anymore. It didn't help that Percy said Apollo was somehow banished by Zeus at the Acropolis, meaning they might never see their dad again, or in Anthony's case, he might never meet his dad.

"Yeah, okay, I'm coming."

Soon enough they were standing on the beautiful wraparound porch of the Big House. Inside they could faintly hear Chiron and Rachel talking. Will took the lead and stepped inside. The talking stopped immediately. "Thank goodness you're finally here!" Rachel shouted, her frizzy hair bobbing as she stood up. "I wanted you to be here when I did this, but Ella and I couldn't hold it in much longer."

"What exactly did you do?" Will asked.

"You won't believe it. Not only have we discovered a prophecy of the Sibylline books, but it seems to have awoken part of the Oracle!" Will gave her a doubtful look. "Just watch, you'll see."

Sure enough, the green mist that hadn't appeared in so long started flowing around Rachel, only this time, a bit of the mist went into Ella as well. The girl and the harpy together opened their mouth and spoke in unison:

_The sun and the moon shall make endless dawn,_

_The cornucopia must save the mortal spawn,_

_The impossible child holds the key,_

_With the lyre to endless victory._

With that, they both passed out on the floor.

"What was that?" Nico asked, bewildered.

Chiron cleared his throat, and all eyes went to the centaur. "It would seem, my boys, that there are now two oracles of Delphi. Both Rachel _and _Ella are hosting her spirit."


	4. IV - Celia

Celia

Celia's life was basically over.

First, her teacher turned into a bunch of evil babies. Next, three if her best friends were taken and possibly killed by some evil spirit. Third, this insensitive girl that Celia wanted nothing to do with had dragged her across the country on pegasi (okay, the pegasi were actually pretty cool.) Overall, as the sun began to set, she was having the worst day of her life.

She forgot all that when she saw the camp.

It was the most incredible place she had ever seen. At the center of a valley was a collection of twenty cabins, each unique and stunning in its own way. Nearby was a baby blue house straight out of the American south. There was what looked to be an outdoor mess hall and an amphitheater off to one side, while the other was full of activities like rock climbing walls, an archery range, a lake perfect for canoeing, and an arena that looked like it could be used for any number of things.

"Come on, we don't have time to gawk. We need to get you to Chiron and Mr. D at the Big House," Willow said as she started marching down the hill.

"What about this Nico guy?"

"We'll go to him right after. Now come on!" She didn't want to be left behind, so Celia sprinted down the hill to catch up with Willow. As they entered the Big House, the blue building Celia had seen before, she wasn't quite sure what to make of the scene.

Three guys stood over two people unconscious on the floor. The tallest of the three had gorgeous tan skin and golden curls, while the boy standing next to him was the polar opposite, with freakishly pale skin and wavy raven hair. The shortest of the three looked very uncomfortable, always readjusting his reddish-brown hair. If Celia had to guess, she would say it was a nervous habit. The girl on the floor had frizzy red hair and freckles all over her face, while the thing on the floor next to her was actually a large bird. A hawk maybe? Or was it a tiny person in a feathered outfit. Celia wasn't paying that much attention to them, though, considering that the man in the back had the body of a horse. From the waist down he was a regal white stallion, but where the horse's head should be was the torso of a middle aged man with a beard. In a world of Greek myths, this guy could only be one thing - a centaur.

"Chiron, I-" Willow started, but then she noticed what had happened. "Why are Rachel and Ella here? Shouldn't they be in New Rome figuring out the Sibylline books?"

"Before we get into all that, Willow, would you mind introducing us?" the centaur asked in a calm, collected voice.

"Oh, right. This is Celia. Celia, this is Will, Nico, Tony, and Chiron. Those two on the floor are Rachel and Ella. Okay, so, we've been introduced, now can we get into the explaining bit?" Willow said, all very quickly.

"Yes, well, it's rather complicated. It would seem a new prophecy has just been issued." Willow gasped. Celia didn't see what the big deal was. Maybe this was super rare?

"Well, what is it?" Willow asked eagerly.

Chiron took a deep breath and began. "The sun and the moon shall make endless dawn, the cornucopia must save the mortal spawn, the impossible child holds the key, with the lyre to endless victory."

"Well, what the Hades does that mean?" Willow inquired. She seemed to be looking at the short boy, Tony.

"Well, not all of it is very clear, but a quest is clearly necessary, and I have an inkling of who should go on it. The cornucopia means a child of Demeter, and the lyre a child of Apollo. As for the impossible child, maybe the child of a virgin god?" he proposed.

"But that defeats the whole point. A virgin god can't have children," Willow argued.

"Well, that might not even be what it means," Tony said back.

"Relax. Let's just take a night to think on it. Meanwhile, I'll show Celia around. Will and Anthony, would you please escort Rachel and Ella to the infirmary? Nico and Willow, you may do as you please," Chiron said to each of them in turn.

"Actually, I have something to ask Nico." The pale boy turned to Celia, shocked. "Three of my friends were taken by karpoi. Are they alive?" Nico paused and seemed to be concentrating. "I don't sense them in the underworld, so they're alive." Celia breathed a sigh of relief. "But something feels off about it."

"Off? What is that supposed to mean?" Celia asked, suddenly worried again?

"I don't know. It's like they should be there, but they're not."

"As I said before, it is best not to worry," Chiron assured her, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was seriously wrong.

"I should go after them," Celia she told the group.

"I have a feeling that your friends will be a part of this new quest. Someone will find them, but I don't think it will be you," Anthony explained. "After all, you haven't even been claimed."

Suddenly everyone gasped as something appeared over Celia's head, casting everything in a warm orange glow. "What? What is it?"

"It's the cornucopia," Will said. "You're a child of Demeter."


	5. V - Willow

Willow

It had been a long day, and Willow seriously needed some relaxation with her dads.

Willow's life had been very complicated. When her two satyr fathers, Trenton and Laurence Thicket, had found her as a baby in the woods nestled under a willow tree sapling, the had assumed she was tree nymph and decided to adopt her. Life was great until the first time Willow blushed.

She was about eight and her dad was singing show tunes at the top of his lungs in front of her friends. She couldn't help but blush from embarrassment. But when her cheeks turned rosy red instead of green the way a tree nymph's would, they knew that she was no nymph at all. Chiron thought she was a demigod, but if she was, her parent had never shown it. Her thirteenth birthday had come and gone, and despite the oath the gods made to Percy Jackson after the Titan War, he parent remained silent.

She decided to follow in the hoofsteps of her parents and become a protector. Her first assignment was Celia. Her dads were so proud of her when she came into their little cottage on the edge of the valley. They turned on the TV and watched their secret guilty pleasure: _Aphrodite's Newest Baby Bump._ Honestly, how could one goddess get pregnant so many times? This episode was all about how she may have fallen for Tristan McLean, the movie star, yet again. She fell asleep to the sound of Aphrodite telling reporters over and over that they were all just rumors, and found herself trapped in a nightmare.

If there was one thing that confirmed her being a demigod, it was the dreams. She had them just like everyone else at camp, vivid dreams that spoke in metaphors, riddles, or sometimes just the truth. This time she saw Diane, Zoey, and August tied up on the floor of an underground cell. Their face were covered in bruises and cuts while their hair was matted down with blood. Suddenly a man wreathed in fire stepped in through a door in the corner. He seemed to be partially transparent, fading in and out of existence each time he took a step. He circled August, who shuddered and cried.

"Oh, man up, boy! If you are to serve your purpose you must be brave. Sister!" he called out. A girl who glowed silver stepped in as well. She seemed to suffer from the same condition as her brother what with the wall behind her being visible through her. "You must decide which child will serve your needs best."

"Ah, yes." She looked at Zoey with condescending eyes. "She is too bright. I feel our other sibling would take more of a liking to her. This one, however," she said, pointing to Diane, "has the right look about her. She shall be mine."

"We are so close now, sister. Our birthright shall be ours once more. Only one more piece of the puzzle must fall into place," the man said, running a hand through his flaming hair.

"Do not worry. Our victory is assured. Those foolish demigods are playing right into our hands." Suddenly, Willow realized that the woman's voice was the one from the classroom. "Once that Willow girl discovers her parentage, she will be useless to them. An outcast, shunned from her peers." The woman grinned a devilish smile. "It is perfect."

Willow woke. Sure enough, her fathers had fallen asleep on the couch next to her. _Good, _she thought. _I don't want them to hear me crying._


	6. VI - Anthony

Anthony

The dinner that night was nice, but there was a somber mood in the air.

Everyone was supposed to burn a portion of their food for their godly parent. But since Apollo had vanished, the food the Apollo kids sacrificed didn't turn into smoke like it used to. It just sat at the bottom the fire, burning to a crisp.

Anthony sighed and sat down. He tried to get everything off of his mind. He was a year-round camper, but most of his best friends weren't, so they would be arriving after school got out. He was also excited about the prophecy. If a child of Apollo was meant to go on the quest, then why not him? He was dying for a change from his everyday routine, and this prophecy might just kickstart a new chapter in his life.

Jason stood up at the Zeus table and cleared his throat. He was the sort of guy that got everyone's attention instantly. He had an air of authority about him as the pontifex maximus of Camp Jupiter. "I have good news, everybody! The first new wing of cabins is under construction. These cabins will be for Kymopoleia, Bia, Elpis, Hymenaios, and Momus." A round of applause came from all around. "Hopefully, with the addition of these cabins, the demigod children of these gods will appear to us, and add to our family here at camp!" Shouts of happiness came from every table. "Just wanted to give you guys a progress report. Thanks for listening." Yet another cheer as he sat down. Anthony thought Jason's new mission was super cool. On the other hand, there were hundreds of minor gods. How was he going to fit them all into camp? Well, if anyone could do it, Jason could.

Rachel stood up at the table for the adults and everyone quieted down yet again. "While we're making announcements, now seems as good a time as any to formally reveal the new prophecy." All side conversations stopped as one. There had been rumors for days about the new prophecy, but it hadn't been confirmed. Now, with the answer at their fingertips, everyone was more hungry for information than their dinner. "It goes like this: the sun and the moon shall make endless dawn, the cornucopia must save the mortal spawn, the impossible child holds the key, with the lyre to endless victory."

Murmurs started among all the tables, especially Apollo and Demeter. "Wait a minute!" an Athena kid shouted, standing up. "The cornucopia is Demeter and the lyre is Apollo, but who the Hades is the impossible child?"

"Me," Willow said, standing up.

"What? Why?" Rachel asked.

"I have a theory. About my parent. Mom or Dad, if you're up there, now would be the time to show me who you are!" she shouted to heavens.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then a bright blue light shone from above Willow. When Anthony's eyes adjusted, he couldn't believe it.

Willow's symbol was a peacock. The sacred animal of Hera.


	7. VII - Celia

Celia

The Demeter cabin was heaven.

Everything was organic and smelled like fresh flowers. The floor was dirt covered in grass and the bedposts were live trees. The pillow was a giant flower and the covers were woven from fern fronds. It might sound uncomfortable but it was all Celia had ever wanted.

Unfortunately, she knew she would have to be the one to go on this quest. Her friends were in danger, and this was only way to guarantee their safety.

She wasn't sure what to make of Willow being the daughter of Hera. I mean, Hera was supposed to be the perfect wife, never unfaithful. Celia supposed she tired of putting up with Zeus's affair and decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. Judging from how Jason kept randomly summoning lightning bolts against his will, Zeus was none too happy with her rebellion.

No matter what, though, Celia would have to get along with Willow. It seemed they would be spending a lot of time together until the prophecy had played itself out. Along with a child of Apollo, whoever that was. Celia secretly hoped it wouldn't be Anthony. He was nice, sort of, but every time the two of them were in a room together Anthony never stopped gawking at her. Not only that, but every time Celia tried to confront him about it, he pretended he hadn't been dung it. It was pretty annoying.

She started off towards breakfast in bare feet, letting the grass tickle her toes. She was about halfway to the dining pavilion when a voice starting shouting inside her head.

_Celia! _it shouted, producing a yelp of terror.

"Who's there?" Celia whispered back. "Where are you?"

She heard a sigh of exasperation. _Look up, for heaven's sake!_

Celia craned her neck but saw nothing other than the sky. "Are you the sky? Ouranos?"

_No, you dolt! Ouranos hasn't been around for millennia. I'm the dawn. And I don't have time for pointless chit chat, _the dawn scolded.

"Then what do you need to tell me?" Celia noticed strange looks being cast her way by passing campers. She didn't really care.

_Rescuing me is crucial to the success of your quest. You can find me at the Ouachita National Forest. She's keeping me there until she finds her cup. _Celia was suddenly very confused. Who was _she_? And why did she need a cup?

_Dawn fades. I can't talk any longer. You have to get to me before they do. Good luck._ With that, the voice petered out, leaving Celia with more questions than answers.

With a sigh, she continued trudging towards the mess hall. "Celia!" someone shouted. She turned around to see Willow. "Change of plans. We're leaving. Right now."

"What? Why?" Celia inquired, shocked.

"The camp is under attack."

"But the valley is protected! Who broke through?"

"That guy, apparently." Celia just then saw the cause for concern. An enormous man, nearly fifty feet tall, with a handsome but cruel face. In his hand he held a beautiful grecian woman wearing a torn veil over her face, screaming and kicking at his meaty fist.

"What the - who the Hades is he?" Celia whimpered, stepping back.

The giant laughed, a deep booming noise that shook the ground. "You wonder who I am, little girl?" Celia was surprised he heard her from so high up. "I am Tityus, and I shall destroy you!" he roared, and he lunged forward, crushing the Hades cabin just as Nico diAngelo dove out.

"Come on!" Willow shouted, dragging Celia across the grass as she had so many times before. "Hera - my mom - sent her chariot for us to get out of here."

"We can't just leave! First of all, we need a child of Apollo. Second of all, we need to help in the fight!"

"Leto, my darling! Lend me just a bit more of your strength," Tityus bellowed.

"No, no!" the woman, presumably Leto, screamed, though a wave of yellow energy rolled off of her and into the giant, who grew another ten feet on the spot.

"What is this guy's story?" Celia asked as they continued to run.

"I think he tried to rape Leto, but she summoned Apollo and Artemis, her children, to defeat him. I guess that with Apollo out of comission, he's back for her," Willow explained.

"Oh, not just for her, daughter of Hera. I will take revenge on my oppressors! Artemis," he jumped on the silver cabin meant for the moon goddess, "and Apollo!"

He made to jump, like he would crush the golden cabin, still full of campers. "No!" Willow screamed, but it was no use. Tityus crushed the cabin just as Anthony and another girl, Kayla, escaped from within. They fired in his face with their bows, but he only seemed annoyed. He picked up Kayla and squished her between his massive fingers. Anthony had enough sense to run away at that point. "Anthony! Over here!" Willow yelled, and the boy raced toward them. Willow urged Celia into the silver chariot next to them drawn by peacocks. He jumped in next to them as they took to the air.

The last sights Celia took in of Camp Half-Blood, maybe for the last time, were Jason summoning a lightning bolt to strike Tityus, Leto crying and shrieking, and Nico diAngelo sobbing over the horribly broken body of Will Solace.

She didn't look again.


	8. VIII - Willow

Willow

Willow wasn't cruel.

She wasn't unfeeling, or heartless. She just had her priorities straight. She wanted to stay and fight. She wanted to save her friends, of course. But the most important thing was saving the world, and the world went beyond her friends.

Besides, no one wanted her there anyway. A child of Hera? Why would anyone want anything to do with a child born only out of spite? An impossible child. If anyone touched her they might catch her impossibility. At least, it seemed like everyone thought that.

She wouldn't let it stop her though. She would show them she was a hero by completing the quest - well, she would show those who were still alive by the end of things.

They were halfway to Arkansas, the home of this forest the dawn has told Celia about, when things started to go wrong. The sound of haunting laughter filled the air, and Willow knew all too well what that meant. Their enemies were about to strike. A beam of concentrated sunlight hit the peacock on the left, burning off all the feathers and blackening the skin. The other peacock tried to keep them aloft, but their weight was too much. The plummeted down to the earth.

They screamed as they dropped, though Willow felt like she had left her stomach behind. The seemed to be going down towards what looked like a giant arena. As they got closer Willow saw two people in the stadium; a girl with chestnut skin and a bulky boy like a linebacker. The girl saw them first. "Frank! Dragon!" she yelled. What was that supposed to mean? Did she think they were a dragon? The boy suddenly leaped into the air and transformed into an enormous lizard with leathery wings. Before Willow could process that, he scooped them out of the chariot with his massive talons and held them aloft as the chariot crashed below them.

They touched down and the boy turned back into a human. "Are you guys okay? What happened up there?" he asked them.

Celia just stared at him. "You were a dragon."

"You must be Frank Zhang," Anthony said, rubbing his shoulders where he had been grabbed. "I heard about how you fought in the war last summer. You're pretty cool." He noticed the girl. I guess that makes you Hazel Levesque."

"That's me," the girl said, putting her arm around Frank. "Great job. You make a great dragon." She kissed him on the cheek.

"Where are we?" Willow asked.

"Louisville, Kentucky. We're here for training," Frank said, "for the Kentucky Derby. Hazel's great with a horse."

"I have my own horse, Arion. But he's super powerful and fast, so he's technically not allowed in the race. So Poseidon granted me Grits." She whistled and a powerful stallion with dark brown hair raced out of the stables. "He also granted me the ability to speak to horses. I finally understand what Percy meant when he said Arion had a potty mouth." She frowned and shook her head. "I washed his mouth out with soap so many times - but that's not important. What happened to you three?"

"We were traveling via peacock and one of the birds got cooked," Anthony explained.

"Well, that's a cryin' shame." Everyone turned toward the stables, the source of the rich, southern voice. "But at least my horses will have an even finer feast."

A man walked out of the stables, smiling kindly. He had a tan, wrinkled face and salt and pepper hair. He wore a green and yellow jockey outfit and cap. He was followed by a quartet of snarling fanged horses. Willow could swear the one on the far right breathed out a puff of fire. "Welcome, to the derby, kids. Care to place any bets?"

Hazel was on her new horse with her spatha drawn before Willow could blink. "Who are you? What do you want?" The man chuckled heartily.

"I'm Diomedes! Best jockey this derby's ever seen!" His fearsome cavalry roared. "Of course, my team is much faster after they've been fed. I was sent by my masters to take out Frank and Hazel so they didn't interfere." He eyed the other three. "Of course, he'll be all the more pleased when I bring in the rest of y'all." They neither again.

"Oh, you'll regret saying that," Hazel muttered, and she charged into battle.


	9. IX - Anthony

Anthony

The battle started off well. Hazel was a demon with her spatha, and Frank as a rhino could deal some serious damage. Celia a started summoning thorny vines that ensnared the legs of Diomedes, but he just yelled, "You'll have to do better than that!" and suddenly, he was sitting up in the stadium. "Give me a good match! My money's on the horses."

Anthony pulled his bow off his shoulder and started sniping the horses. He remembered the story about these monsters. Diomedes tried to trick Hercules into getting eaten by his flesh eating horses, but Hercules fed Diomedes to the horses instead. Unfortunately, Anthony didn't remember how Hercules dealt with the horses themselves. He rolled out of the way of a fiery breath from the horses and responded with a shit to the heart, though the steed shook off the blow like it was nothing.

Suddenly, Frank went down under a wave of horse fire, collapsing to the ground in human form. The horse bit a chunk out of his arm, whinnying in glee. It went in for another bite, but Hazel beheaded it with a fierce battle cry. She jumped off her horse and examined his wounds. "No, please, no..." she muttered, whipping some nectar out of her bag, force feeding it to him. Anthony knew a thing or two about healing, but before he could get over there, Willow was tackled to the ground by a fierce stallion.

"Stupid Hera! Why couldn't you give me any useful powers?" she shouted, parrying the horse fangs with her sword.

"Just do something!" Celia yelled, using her vine trick again. Apparently she couldn't think of any other moves to use.

"Gah!" Willow screamed, summoning a cow out of thin air and throwing at her attacker. The horse hissed and swallowed the cow in one gulp. Surprisingly, it just layed down and looked around, no longer interested in attacking them.

"That's how it ends!" Anthony called out, suddenly remembering the end of the legend. "After the horses eat something they stop attacking. We need more cows! Willow, more cows! Now!"

She summoned a calf and launched it toward another horse. It didn't seem totally satisfied, but it sat down after its meal nonetheless. "Bigger cows would be better!" he shouted to her as he sniped another mare.

"This isn't easy, you know!" Anthony suddenly noticed the strain on her face. A hoof appeared in her hand. "I can't do any more!"

There were only two horses left. One neighed, and Anthony shot an arrow through its mouth, causing it to explode in a puff of golden dust.

"Aw, come on, let's have a fair race!" Diomedes shouted, leaping with incredible strength from the stands onto the back of the final horse. "No cheating!"

He didn't seem to notice Celia sneaking up behind him, Frank's bow in hand, held like a club. He yelped and fell off his horse when she whacked him with it over the head. "No unsportsmanlike behavior! You're disqualified!" He seemed to mime picking something up, and then threw it over Celia. She tumbled to the ground with a cry of pain. "My father, Ares, was once trapped in that invisible net by Hephaestus. Now all his enemies will know how it feels."

"We're not enemies...of...Ares!" Celia shouted, wincing.

"But you're enemies of my master. And soon enough my father will switch sides if he knows what's good for him. In the meantime, let's finish this!" He charged Hazel, slamming her against the side of the stadium with impossible force. Anthony could hear the crack of broken bones. She fell to the ground unconscious.

Diomedes chuckled, rubbing his hands together. "Who else wants to feel the wrath of Diomedes?" Willow threw the hoof in her hand and hit him on the side of his head. "Konobos!" he cried. Too late, Anthony realized that was the name of the remaining horse. It conked Willow on the side of the head and knocked her unconscious.

This was very, very bad. Celia was trapped, Hazel broken, Frank maimed, and Willow unconscious. Only Anthony was left to take out a super strong warrior and a fire breathing horse. Hercules had taken out Diomedes with his superior strength, but that was one thing Anthony didn't have. All he had were his arrows. And his mind.

"Boy, I love a good come from behind victory. But I'm afraid that won't be happening today. Konobos, please deal with our little friend here." The horse breathed a burst of fire a started running over. Anthony needed to do something. But what was there to do? He took in the situation. He had his bow, his arrows, his quiver, his stupid clarinet...and Grits, pawing at Hazel nervously.

"Woah!" he shouted, and the horse stopped momentarily. "You say you want to play fair? How about a real race?" Anthony yelled as he ran to Grits and jumped onto him.

"You make a good point, child." He jumped onto the horse once again. "To the starting line!"

This would have been a much better idea if Anthony had any clue how to control a horse. He tried kicking it to make it go and it started galloping across the track. He arrived to see Diomedes chanting, "Rise, people of Thrace! Rise and support your king!"

Anthony gasped as the stands filled with shimmering transparent people. Ghosts, from when Diomedes ruled Thrace. They had enormous foam fingers and Diomedes merchandise all over them. "Place bets here!" one of them yelled. A swarm of ghosts floated over to him. Soon all Anthony could hear was a chorus of "100 drachmas on Diomedes!" and "Is anyone even betting on the kid?"

_You should be betting on the kid, _Anthony thought, feeling in the saddlebags hanging on Grits. _Please, Hazel, I need something for this to work. _He smiled as his hand closed around the hilt of a dagger. _Thank you._

A ghost with a flag stood in front of them at the starting line. "On your marks, get set, go!" Diomedes set off immediately, going faster than Anthony could fathom. Grits was fast too, of course, but Konobos was otherworldly.

"You're goin' to have to try harder than that, boy!" Diomedes cried back to him, cackling evilly. Anthony took out the dagger, struggling to stay balanced, and held it out to his left. Diomedes passed and cursed as the dagger drew blood. "Hey!" he shouted. "That ain't fair!"

"Sorry, that was an accident!" Anthony yelled back. Diomedes was bleeding profusely now. A line of blood trickled into the mouth of his horse, just as Anthony had hoped. Konobos stopped abruptly, bucking Diomedes over his head.

"What's wrong with you?" he shouted at his horse as it galloped toward him and held him down with his hooves. He neighed angrily and blew a burst of fire in his master's face. "Ahh!" Diomedes cried as the horse tore him limb from limb. Despite being a healer, Anthony was sort of squeamish and had to look away. He remembered one final detail from the legend: all the horses really wanted was the blood of Diomedes. He had thought that if Konobos tasted the blood of his master he would turn on him, and it had worked. Anthony turned back to see a now peaceful horse lapping up a pool of blood. None of Diomedes remained.

Shuddering, Anthony dismounted and ran up into the stands, now empty of ghosts, where his comrades had been teleported when the race began. He freed Celia with the dagger, and fished some nectar out of his pack to help the others. Just a drop was enough to wake Willow, and after a sip or two, Hazel's bones began to mend. Frank was in the worst condition. His arm was really mangled, and his burns were serious.

Hazel whistled and Arion, her super fast magical horse, raced onto the track. "I'll take Frank back to Camp Jupiter for healing and to tell them what's going on." She pulled a wad of hundred dollar bills out of her pack. "Use this to get to Arkansas."

"Woah, where did you get this money?" Celia asked, grabbing it in amazement.

"It's actually just a trick of the Mist," Hazel admitted. "What the mortals don't know won't hurt them." She looked at Anthony. "Thanks again for saving us."

She lugged Frank onto Arion and they zoomed away towards California.

Willow, Celia, and Anthony walked into central Louisville, no one saying a word. If they had gained anything from this, it was the reassurance that their enemies would stop at nothing to keep them from succeeding. As they boarded the bus that would take them to their, Anthony could her cruel laughter from all around.


	10. X - Celia

Celia

Life basically sucked.

First, she's ripped from her home. Then, she was ripped from her new home just as she started to settle in. Next, she fell out of the sky. Finally, she was trapped in a super tight and super painful invisible net. Overall, stuff wasn't going very well. She was relieved when the bus stopped at the crack of dawn in Hot Springs, Arkanasas, at the edge of the Ouachita National Forest.

She took in the scenery. A gift shop was off to one side, advertising t-shirts and snowglobes. Several trails led off in different directions, and birds sang songs from the trees. She took note of tourist opportunities like nature hikes or panning for gold. Nothing seemed worth investigation.

Then she saw the dwarf.

A tiny man, two feet tall, was poking around the tree roots with a pick axe. His skin was entirely black, like the sky at night. He wore a miner's uniform and a hart hat with a head lamp. He had a bulbous nose and squinty eyes. Celia could practically smell his B.O. from where she stood. "Stupid cup," he muttered. "Stupid cranes, too." He wandered away into the forest.

"I think we should follow that guy," Celia said to her friends, who agreed and followed her into the trees.

The tiny man took a confusing path, straying from the trail and weaving between the trees. His senses weren't very keen, because he didn't notice the three of them tromping just twenty feet behind him. Eventually he crossed through an especially thick patch of trees that the others were two big for. "Here, I'll handle this," Celia told them as she stepped forward. She concentrated and the trees bent to her will, bending aside so they could step through. What they saw on the other side was hard to make sense of.

They had encountered a valley full of the little men. They wove in and out of tunnels, carrying pick axes and jackhammers. Some had gathered around a river and appeared to be panning for gold. Large cranes swarmed around them, pecking at them occasionally and screeching. The strangest thing in the valley, though, was the glowing woman riding a chariot through the sky drawn by cranes. The largest crane of all rode next to her. The woman had hair that flowed behind her glowing like sunlight and skin that shimmered like haze on a hot summer day. "Work harder!" she yelled. "Find me my cup, or I'll set my cranes on you!"

"Yes, Lady Hemera," the dwarves replied.

"Hemera?" Anthony whispered. "Goddess of the day?"

"What is she doing here? And what cup is she looking for?" Willow pondered. "Maybe-"

"Oh, finally! What took you so long?" someone shouted behind them. They turned, startled, to see another woman. She had honey colored hair and an impish face, and her head was adorned with a lavish crown of gold and diamonds. Her flowing white dress was beautiful, though it showed a tad too much skin for Celia's taste. And of course, there were the wings. Enormous white wings sprouted from her back, her feathers rustling nervously. It was only after she took this in that Celia realized she recognized the voice.

"Are you the dawn?" Celia asked.

"Of course I'm the dawn! My face is not the sort you mistake for someone else's," the woman said haughtily. "Eos is what the Greeks called me, back in the day."

"Eos? What are you doing here?" Anthony asked her.

"Hemera's magic. She drew me here with her powers, and it is vital that you escort me out of here at once."

"What are they planning on doing?" Celia questioned. "What cup are they looking for? Why are so many cranes? What species are those gnome people?"

"Too many questions, child! For now, just get me away from that awful jealous goddess!" Eos shrieked.

"Found it!" one of the dwarf people shouted, holding up a golden goblet encrusted with sapphires. "I found the cup!"

A crane immediately swooped down and snatched it in its feet, carrying it up to Hemera. "Oh, you blessed cup! You shall hold Helios no longer!" the goddess yelled. "You shall have a new occupant. Eos! Oh, where has she run off to? Her siblings will be so disappointed."

"Oh no! They found it! The cup of Helios, my brother. He's so annoying!" Eos shrieked. "If they get that thing near me I'll be sucked in. Get me away from here!"

"There!" Hemera cried, spotting them. "Get her, pygmies!" The black skinned people charged for Eos, overwhelming her in a tidal wave of bodies.

"No! You can't! This is murder!" Eos screamed, crying. "Murder!"

"When has that ever bothered me?" Hemera called down from her chariot. "Or any of the gods?"

The large crane took the cup down to the ground and held it near Eos, whose form started to ripple. She cried out in pain as she was sucked into the goblet like dust into a vacuum. Celia wanted to help, but what could she do? She would be overwhelmed instantly.

"At last!" Hemera called out, cackling. "You may have replaced me in the eyes of the Greeks, but America is mine!"

"I'm sorry, Hemera!" Eos shouted. Her voice sounded tinny and quiet from inside the cup. "But don't you see? If they succeed, the won't be happy taking over just the jobs of Apollo and Artemis. They will destroy all other gods! With the power they receive, it shouldn't be hard. Let me go or you'll be next!"

"I'm not foolish enough to fall for your ploy! I'm taking you to them, and I shall be a queen in their new world. Pygmies and cranes, hear me! Be ready to leave at midnight. And then there is no stopping us," Hemera told the people in the crowd. The cranes all cases in glee, but the pygmies didn't seem all that excited.

"Come on," Willow said, dragging Anthony and Celia back towards the gift shop.

"What are we going to do?" Celia asked.

"Isn't it obvious? We have to make a plan to stop that stupid goddess." She turned back to face them. "And we have to do it by midnight."


	11. XI - Willow

Willow

It was a horrible plan.

There were so many variables, so many things that could easily go wrong. In theory it was simple, but a big part of it relied Willow's powers, and she wasn't sure she could do it on demand.

They had debated about it for hours, but they only had one hour until Hemera took off with all of the pygmies and the cranes, so they had to act fast. She waited in the bushes, alone, until Celia set the plan in action.

Willow noticed her immediately, rustling the bushes off to the side of the pygmy camp where the tiny people were eating dinner. A pudgy one grunted and stood up with effort. He went over to investigate, just as they had hoped. He brushed aside the brambles and yelped as a thorny vine started encasing his leg. "Stop it! Wicked demigod! Cut it out! Cut it-" That's all he could say before a fat rose blossomed in his mouth and the vines wrapped around his head. The rest of the pygmies roared and ran forward, but Celia was powerful. The whole first row of pygmies fell into enormous flowers that snapped shut around them, and in the middle of the horde grew a tall pine tree that fired pine cones at the pygmies with enough force to knock them out. Dandelion fuzz whirled around groups of three or four, carrying them into the air and dropping them over and over.

It was pretty incredible to watch, but there was no time. Willow darted toward the makeshift base of Hemera, a waterproof tent, going unnoticed among the mayhem. She ducked inside and couldn't believe her eyes.

What she saw was not the inside of a tent. Rather, she was in the entry hall of a golden palace. The walls shined and shimmered in the glow of the crystal chandelier nearly thirty feet above. A gorgeous runner in dull shades of yellow made the hall seem even longer, lined on either side by suits of armor crafted from gold.

Once again, there was no time to stop and admire what she saw. She had to find the cranes. On a hunch, she ran down a hallway to the left and pushed open a heavy wooden door engraved with an image of the sun. She cursed herself for being so noisy once she saw what she had stumbled upon.

The large crane from before was nestled on a yellow pillow in the center of the room, sound asleep. _This must be Gerana,_ Willow thought. It would fit with the legend. Gerana had been the insanely beautiful queen of the pygmies. She had hated the gods, especially Hera, and to punish her, Hera had turned her into an immortal crane. She had tried to continue as queen of the pygmies, but they shunned her and tried to kill her. She rallied the rest of the cranes and attacked back, starting the endless war between the cranes and the pygmies. The mysterious people that had been trying to hinder their quest the whole time must have sided with the cranes and enslaved the pygmies. They brought them to Ouachita National forest, which used to full of gold, to try to find this missing golden cup. Unfortunately, Willow's knowledge of this mythology ended there. The purpose of the cup and its history was a mystery to her.

But in any case, there she was, having nearly woken up the queen of the cranes and now considering the best way to execute her part of the plan. Cranes were sacred animals of Hera because of the whole Gerana incident, so the hope was that Willow could find where the cranes were being held and enchant them to fight on her side, but using magic on that many cranes at once would be very difficult. Gerana could be the solution to that issue. If she enchanted their queen, the rest of the cranes may just flip sides as well.

She started letting the power of Hera ooze from her. She felt the pull in her gut she had always wondered about. The few times she had talked with Percy Jackson he had warned her not to let it get out of hand once she discovered her power. She could see how it could easily go wrong, so she made sure the flow wasn't too strong. She felt something within her click into place as Gerana fell under her spell. Now for the tricky part; cutting off the magic. She tried to pull back, but she found she couldn't. In a panic she lost concentration and she let a tidal wave of power out. She screamed at the amount of energy she released, but suddenly it shut off.

Willow didn't know what had happened. Had she run out of magic? That's when a wave of nausea made her so sick she couldn't function. It left as quickly as it had come, but something was now very different. She was in a different position, with her legs tucked under her and her arms at her sides. It didn't feel right for a human. She seemed to be resting on a pillow in the center of the room. But where was Gerana? She only then noticed someone else in the room. A dark skinned girl with raven black hair, laying on the floor. She looked a great deal like Willow. It was really like looking in a mirror.

"What the-" the Willow clone said. "Impossible. Human speech?" The girl looked down at herself incredulously. "And a human body? Too good to be true!"

The horrible reality of the situation dawned on Willow. She looked down and gawked at the body of crane where her's should've been. Was it possible? Could expelling too much magic make you switch bodies? Maybe in this case. Her goal _had _been to take control of the queen, but it wasn't supposed to go this far. With room for only one soul in the body, Gerana's spirit had gone into the nearest available host, which unfortunately was Willow.

Gerana finally noticed Willow and guffawed at the sight. "Idiotic demigod! I dare say you are the stupidest child I ever met. And that's saying something, considering how my son Mopsus turned out." She made a disgusted face and show her head. "I don't know where I went wrong with that one." With a sigh, she sauntered toward the door. "Ah, to walk again! To have beauty again!" She grabbed the door handle. "To have opposable thumbs again," she whispered hungrily, opening the door and slamming it behind her.

Willow was freaking out. She cawed and cawed to no avail. She couldn't figure out how fly properly, so she took a tentative step. She ended up landing on the floor sprawled on her side with no idea how to get up. She screamed in her crane way, on and on. She heard the creak of a door as it slid open. She started to hope. Could it be Anthony searching the castle for the cup? "Heh, look! The stupid queen fell off!" said a gruff voice. She knew then it wasn't her friend but a smelly pygmy.

"You got the axe?" said another. Willow realized what was going on. A group of pygmies had brought an axe, presumably to kill Gerana. But Gerana wouldn't be the one losing her head. It would be Willow in her place.

"Aye, right here." This new pygmy sounded like an old man. "Mother will finally see she was wrong about me."

_Mother. _This must have been Mopsus, the son Gerana mentioned. Why was he going to her execution? The three men came to stand in front of her. One grabbed Willow's neck, one her feet, and Mopsus hefted up the axe. Willow could have screamed, but what was the point? She was done for. She closed her eyes and waited for the cold pinch of the steel. But it didn't come. "Mopsus? What are you waiting for?" one of his companions asked.

"This isn't my mother," Mopsus said. Willow's eyes shot open to see him lower the axe to his side. "Gerana wouldn't just sit there while she had her head cut off. She would kick and scream and sound for her royal crane guard. She certainly wouldn't do what this crane just did." Mopsus stared Willow on the eyes. "Who are you?"

"I'm Willow! I'm on your side!" she shouted. In crane language, of course, so it was just a series of caws and screeches.

"Are you certain it isn't just Gerana trying to trick us?" the pygmy holding Willow's feet inquired.

"Aye. There's a different sort of light in her eyes. Still harsh, but more forgiving." That was a true enough description of Willow's personality. If Mopsus could perceive all that from looking at ther eyes, maybe he wasn't as dumb as Gerana made him out to be. "We have to take her to the other cranes."

"Why?" the other pygmy asked.

"I don't know who it is in there, but it is certainly Gerana's body. The rest of the cranes won't know that. They'll still listen to her. And if the soul there is on our side, it would be a good move." The others begrudgingly agreed and hauled Willow through the door in the room that didn't lead back into the hallway. Instead it was like a massive dormitory but for birds. Lavish golden cages full of plush pillows and woolen blankets filled the room, each one housing its own crane. When they saw the pygmies they all burst out of their cages yelling, "Kill the intruders!"

"Stop!" Willow called. All of the cranes warily descended to the ground. Finally, creatures that could understand her. "The pygmies are not the enemies! Our rivalry is foolish and childish. It is Hemera that we should attack!" She surveyed the crowd of birds. No one moved. "Go do it! Attack Hemera!"

The birds took to the sky, filling the room with the sound of flapping wings. They ascended through a hole in the ceiling and soon they were gone. Willow breathed a sigh of relief through her beak. That was one problem taken care of. Hemera might not be able to stand against the sheer number of cranes. But Willow was still a bird, and Gerana was out there in Willow's real body. "I hope those birds are going to attack Hemera and not the other pygmies. Let's get the crane outside." Willow was too slow walking and she couldn't fly, so Mopsus carried her back out of the tent. He nearly dropped her when he saw what was happening.

Celia seemed to have run out of magic, so the pygmies were taking revenge. They ripped vines and leaves and twigs from all around the forest that sprouted and tied Celia up. She seemed to be unconscious and oblivious to what was happening. The pygmies were digging a pit in the ground that looked suspiciously like a grave right next to her.

Meanwhile the cranes dive bombed fiery spirits that Hemera had no doubt summoned. Unfortunately, many of the birds were going down under the fiery barrage. Anthony was probably somewhere in the enormous castle, looking for the cup as they had planned. The biggest shock, though, was Gerana.

She floated high above the battlefield with peacock wings made of golden light flapping behind her. One ability that Willow didn't know she had. Gerana didn't seen surprised by the cranes flipping sides, but she was doing something about it. She understood Willow's powers much better than Willow did, and every time a crane passed her it fell under her spell and started attacking its brethren. A few cranes didn't do that, though. Three or four ducked into the tent, or rather, the palace. Willow had a sickening feeling about what they were up to.

She needed to do something, but there was nothing to do. Willow could barely move in her new body, and any of these enemies could easily overpower her. She needed to learn to fly somehow. She cawed and Mospus set her on the ground. She tried flapping her wings, but she couldn't get enough power to take to the sky. She tried to get a running start, but two steps in she fell on her face. Maybe this just wasn't her fight to win.

She got the will to fight back when the cranes came back out of the palace with a very valuable prize. They lifted Anthony, kicking and screaming, up towards Gerana. Willow spotted a glint of gold in his hand that could only be the golden cup. She suddenly realized the obvious solution to her problem. She had an army of cranes at her disposal, and she wasn't using any of them. She screeched at them and a large powerful crane answered her call. She climbed onto its back, nestled between its wings, and they launched towards Anthony.

The crane Willow had picked was very strong and fast, but they just couldn't get there before Gerana plucked the goblet from his hands and tucked it into her belt. "Willow? What's going on? Why are you doing this?" he screamed, flailing in the air. Gerana just chuckled and motioned for the cranes to drop him, which they did, sending him shrieking down to the ground. Willow cawed and a pack of cranes cushioned his fall, though it certainly didn't look painless. Willow had no time to consider the possibilities. "The cup is ours, Hemera! We can leave!" Gerana cried, just as Willow slammed into her.

Gerana yelped and waved her hand, making Willow's ride explode in a puff of feathers. Maybe she would feel bad about that, but she was locked in a fierce battle in the sky, pecking away at her own body. It was a really weird feeling, knowing that you were doing damage to yourself. She lost concentration for a second as she saw the pygmies roll Celia into the pit, and Gerana made her move. She grabbed Willow by the neck and held her out from her body. "Silly little girl. Don't you see? I am the more powerful one here. I am a human, and you a measly little crane. I will take pleasure in watching you wander around my palace with no memory of who you used to be." Gerana raised her free hand and Willow could feel her personality waning, her very soul ceasing to exist. She wouldn't even go the underworld and have a chance at Elysium, she would just suffer endlessly in the body of an immortal crane. She tried to hold on with all her might, but she was no match for Gerana. She slipped out of existence and into oblivion.

Willow didn't know what was going on. It felt like an eternity later, but it couldn't have been, because as her vision slowly cleared she saw the same battle scene from before. The only difference this time was that she was the one holding a crane by the neck in her very human hand. She couldn't believe it. Gerana must have made the same mistake that Willow had,urging forth too much power and inadvertently switched bodies. Gerana started struggling and Willow let her go. She had what she needed; both the cup and the body. As Gerana fluttered away, Willow realized that she was also somehow flying. Then she remembered the glowing wings. Then she realized she had no idea how to control them. Then she started falling.

She braced herself for impact and tried to find the right muscles to make them go, trying very possible control she had in her brain, but she just ended up flapping her arms. She was only 50 feet from the ground now. 40. 30.

She screamed and with a burst of effort she elicited one flap. She felt a glimmer of hope. She flapped again. And again. The flaps were random and sporadic. She couldn't fly, but she could at least try to cushion the fall. She tumbled to the ground and was pretty banged up, but there was nothing too serious. She breathed a sigh of relief and felt the wing dissolve into mist. "Oh, thank goodness you survived that. It would be akward if they had to pry the cup off of you dead body!" Willow looked around for a source of the voice but couldn't find any. Then she remembered.

"Eos," she grumbled, staring at the goblet.

"Who else?" the goddess shouted, exasperated. "Now go rescue that Anthony boy. He's rather cute," Eos commented. Ignoring the last part, Willow ran over to the crumpled body of Anthony. She could see his chest rise and fall, which was good, but his ankle didn't look very good. It was twisted in a way that ankles should never be twisted. Willow reached into his pack and pulled out a square of ambrosia. She fed it to him, and she watched in a mixture of amazement and horror as the foot twisted itself back into place with a sickening click. He sat up and looked around.

"Willow? What happened?" he asked, anger plastered on his face.

"Look, it wasn't me. It was Gerana! She took over my body and she-" Willow started, but Anthony held up his hand.

"Hold on, go back to the beginning. Where's Celia?" That's when Willow realized she had forgotten a third of their group. She turned towards the pygmies as they packed in the last of the dirt over Celia's body and they began to celebrate. But then the ground began to rumble. "What is that? An earthquake? Is Gaea back?" Anthony speculated, but just then the ground erupted, enormous trees and vines proving from the ground. Anthony and Willow were carried up on a tree branch, where they had a perfect view of the largest vine of all, where a dirt covered Celia screamed a battle cry. Hemera was so shocked that her fire demons vanished.

"Anthony! Willow!" Celia shouted. "Get over here!"

"We can't just-" Willow began, but she was interrupted by a vine encircling her and Anthony. It carried them across the valley and deposited them next to Celia. "Never mind."

"No! No, no, no!" Hemera called out. "I won't stand for this! I will have my time in the spotlight!" She began to glow like a supernova, the light growing and obliterating everything it touched.

Suddenly the same dandelion fuzz that had carried the pygmies before began swirling around the three of them, lifting them slowly into the air. "Faster, Celia!" Anthony shouted, and they began to raise a little faster. The light was just feet away from them. With a scream of effort from Celia, they skyrocketed into the air, the light melting the soles of Willow's shoes.

As they floated away from the massacred Ouachita National Forest with nothing but a whiny goddess in a cup, Willow couldn't help but wonder what they were supposed to do now.

They drifted off into the light of dawn.

I'm sorry for not uploading for so long. I've been a little distracted. Hopefully posts will be more common in the future.


	12. XII - Anthony

Anthony

They'd been going nonstop for almost 24 hours.

Celia was holding them aloft with her dandelion magic, but she was just about passed out from exhaustion, and occasionally they would fall out of the sky before she picked them back up. They were just wandering aimlessly, with no idea where to go. Celia was too tired to really manipulate their altitude, and she couldn't just let them drop from this height or they would die. And so, they floated endlessly across America. Meanwhile, Willow had been trying to figure out how to use her flight powers. Finally she said, "Okay, I think I've got it! Celia, you can stop!" Before the words had even left her mouth, the dandelion fuzz dispersed and Celia fell asleep. Enormous wings of golden peacock feathers appeared behind Willow and began flapping like crazy. "Haha! I'm doing it! I'm really doing it!" They slowly descended to the ground outside a gas station.

"Where are we?" Anthony asked.

"Um..." Willow looked around. She pointed towards a sign that said, _Welcome to Valdosta GA! _"I guess we're in Georgia," she said as she laid Celia on the ground. "But we still don't know where we're supposed to be going."

Anthony noticed the sun rising in the distance. "Dawn's breaking. Should we see if Eos will talk now?"

Willow scowled. That may have been the most annoying part of the journey. They wanted to do something with their time, like asking Eos what they were supposed to do, but the goddess decided to not talk for once. They figured it was because she couldn't appear when it wasn't dawn. Now Willow pulled out the goblet and screamed, "Eos!" right into it.

The sound of static filled the air. "Apollo..." said the voice of Eos, though it was difficult to understand. "Orlando..."

"Eos?" Anthony asked. "What's going on?"

"Weak...cup isn't...me..." she said.

"Huh? The cup isn't meant for you?" Willow asked.

"Send you...Orlando...last...my power," Eos told them. She sounded very sickly.

"You'll...what? Orlando? What does this have to do with Apollo?" Anthony asked her.

"Celia...get Celia," she insisted, and Willow hefted the frail girl who was ven paler than usual. Suddenly beams of light circled around them, making the world ripple.

"Find him...save...good luck," Eos said as the world melted around them.


	13. XIII - Celia

Celia

Celia woke to the sound of screaming children.

She opened her eyes and saw hordes of people all around her of every age. She was laying on a bench near a huge complex of white and gray buildings. As more and more came into focus she took note of Anthony and Willow sitting next to her.

"Hey, look who's up," Anthony said. "We should probably get moving, then."

"Wha- where are we?" Celia asked groggily, combing a hand through her ratty blond hair.

"Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex," Willow explained, motions towards a large white a blue sign that said just that. "Eos teleported us to Orlando. She said something about finding Apollo. I guess he's in there somewhere." They all stared at the building, wondering why Apollo would be at some random tourist attraction in Florida. Then Celia noticed something pretty out of the ordinary.

In the distance, a tiny sliver dot was racing across the sky, slowly growing. "What the Hades is that?" Celia said, pointing. As her comrades glanced that way, Celia could start to make out two white pegasi pulling a silver chariot. The lone figure riding in it was hard to make out, but it seemed to be a short woman with tan skin and a dark brown mop of hair. She seemed to be screaming as the pegasi careened wildly from side to side. Suddenly, they dropped out sky and crashed somewhere in the complex.

"We should probably check that out," Celia suggested. They paid for tickets with more of Hazel's mist money and walked inside. Anthony grabbed a map/activities guide and started poring over the information.

"This place is so cool!" he exclaimed as they looked around the entrance hall. "You can have lunch with an astronaut, view buddies from the Hubble telescope- oh! And there's even a play area for the kids. It's a high quality place."

"All I want to know is where we find Apollo," Willow added. Just then, a bright white pegasus ran through the hall, bursting in one door and put the other.

"Gah! Stupid horse! Get back here!" a familiar voice yelled. It sounded a bit like the woman from Celia's dreams, but more than anything, it reminded her of the voice of Diane.

"No way," Celia muttered. _Diane wouldn't be here, _she thought. _She was captured by the karpoi. _But logic was overwhelmed by the desire to see her friend again. "Diane!" she yelled as she ran towards the source of the voice.

"Celia! Stop!" Willow yelled, but Celia may has well been deaf. She burst into the open air and found a bustling outdoor cafe. The shattered remains of the chariot lay next to a table where a family happily sipping their drinks, oblivious to the wreckage. The Mist could do some weird things. Celia's eyes scanned the crowd and then her eyes locked on a figure across the plaza. It was the woman from the chariot, but now it was clear it was more of a teenager than an adult. No doubt it was Diane, with her brown hair cut at the shoulders and her black rimmed glasses slightly askew. She seemed to be muttering to herself as she brushed off her blue and white striped t-shirt.

"Diane!" Celia cried out, waving her arms in the air. Diane whipped her head up and made eye contact. "It's me, Celia!"

Diane shouted something Celia couldn't quite understand and ran into another building. Celia tried to go after her, but Willow's strong grip on her shoulder stopped her. "What has gotten into you?" Willow asked, anger burning in her eyes.

"Didn't you see her? It's Diane, from our old school!" Celia explained. Willow winced.

"Listen, Celia, I'm not sure Diane can be trusted. I had a dream before we left camp. These people had your friends captive, and they were talking about-" Willow began, but a sharp shush from Anthony cut her off. "Excuse me?"

"Quiet!" he exclaimed. He cocked his head and listened. "No way. It's my dad! He's talking to me!" he said, excited. "For the first time ever! It's faint, but I can tell it's him! Apollo must be close."

"Where does he say he is?" Willow asked, the concerns about Diane temporarily forgotten.

"He says...the gift shop," Anthony said. He referred to his map. "That's right through there!" He pointed to the building Diane had entered.

They pushed past people eating lunch as they rushed for the building. They ran through an atrium full of random space facts and families watching videos. Then they saw it. The gift shop.

It looked more like an enormous warehouse than a store, with steel beams on the ceiling and metal walls. The place was full of racks of merchandise, from astronaut plushies to books about space to t-shirts with logos on them. A sign above the entrance said "Space Shop" with an image of a cartoon rocket.

"His voice is definitely stronger here. He says he's by the register," Anthony told them, and they combed the store for a desk.

"There! That's Apollo!" Willow shouted. Celia looked where Willow was pointing and only saw a teen working a summer job. Then she realized; the tan, sandy haired seventeen year old was actually the immortal god of the sun. She couldn't help but find him handsome. He just had a laid-back, carefree air about him. Obviously, she was only thirteen, so Celia wasn't in the mood for romance just yet, but if she had to pick someone, she would choose someone like him. Then she remembered that he was not only Anthony's dad, he was a couple millennia too old for her. She shook off any fantasies and approached him. He straightened the name tag clipped to his navy blue uniform and prepared to speak.

"Hey there, I'm Adam! Are you looking for out of this world savings? You've come to the right place!" he said, flashing a tired smile. His words may have said excitement, but his eyes screamed, _Get me out of here!_

"Apollo, you can drop the act. We're demigods, here to rescue you," Celia explained.

"Oh, thank goodness!" the teen god exclaimed, slumping forward. "I've been stuck here for months! Almost a year! And I am _so _done. Honestly, I didn't do anything to deserve this. So I boosted a kids confidence and made him try to kill all the Greeks. Octavian was the one who ended up dealing. The final blow to Gaea anyway! Without me, they would've lost the war."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous," Willow said, rolling her eyes. "Leo could have done that without Octavian blowing up in Gaea's face. Things would've been so much easier if Octavian didn't think he was supposed to be the savior of Rome or whatever. Maybe Leo would still be alive."

"Yeah, yeah, but in any case, you're here to rescue me, right? I felt you get close, and I connected with one of you," he said.

"That was me," Anthony said, stepping forward. "I'm Anthony." Apollo gave him a blank look. "Your son?" Anthony reminded him.

"See, uh, Anthony, is it? I've got a lot of sons, and I can't really be bothered to remember all their names. Let's see, I have one named Will, I know that, and I think one's called Lee, maybe?" Apollo explained.

"Lee died a few years ago, and Will is probably dead after the attack on Camp Half-Blood," Willow told him.

"Ah. Okay, so scratch that. In any case, I never heard of an Anthony. Your mom's name?" Apollo asked.

"Karen," Anthony said. He sounded pretty angry. "Karen Mimir."

"Oh, yeah! She was hot," Apollo mentioned.

"Let's just get to the action, please," Anthony requested. He definitely sounded irritated now.

"Fine. You want to get me out of here? Daddy Z wants me to work this shift for a millennium. The shift ends after I punch my timecard, but I have no idea where it is, and I can't leave the register." To illustrate, he tried to walk past the edge of the desk and ended up pushing against an invisible wall. "I'm sure it's somewhere in the complex, though. You guys have to find it and bring it to me, and then I'll do whatever you need for your little quest. Sounds good? Good. Now get to it," Apollo inscructed, shooing them away.

Anthony looked like he wanted to punch his dad, but Willow pulled them away through a door to the outside. They stopped next to one of those giant balls of rock that looked like it was floating on water. This one was covered in constellations, each one labeled with its name and meaning. "I can't believe him! What a jerk!" Anthony shouted, now that they were alone. "I thought he would be nice, or caring, or have some redeeming quality that would make him worthy of my mom. But he's just a concieted, selfish bigot!"

"Hey, you can vent about later. Right now, let's think about where to find this card. The way I see it, it's either in the-"

"Celia!" someone shouted, cutting Willow off. Celia whipped around to see Diane running towards her, tackling her with a hug. "Oh thank goodness I found you! I escaped, but Zoey and August are still being held captive. I stole a pegasus and was heading for your camp but I crashed here. I can't believe you're here too, this is crazy!"

"Diane, oh, I've missed you so much," Celia told her. She could feel tears building in her chest.

"Me too, but we really have to go," Diane warned her. "Come on, all three of you. We need to get back there and stop them. I have this medallion," she said, pulling a large diamond pendant shaped like the moon from inside her shirt, "that I stole. It will teleport us back there."

"Come on, Anthony, Willow. Who cares about Apollo? We can do this without him. It would take us too long to find that card, anyway," Celia muttered as she clasped her hand in Diane's.

"Celia, get away from her!" Willow shouted. "She could be mind-controlled or something, and even if she's telling the truth, she could have some kind of a tracking device inside her, leading them right to us! Even if none of that applies, going into their lair is a bad idea." She pulled the goblet from her belt. "Especially with this!"

"Come on, Willow!" Celia pleaded. "You're overthinking this. Can't you just let me enjoy this?"

"You can enjoy it after Anthony tests her for magic," Willow said, motioning for Anthiny to step forward.

"It's nothing personal, Diane. We just need to make sure you're safe," Anthony said as he scrutinized her.

"I guarantee you, I'm fine," Diane assured him. "There's no need to-"

Anthony suddenly jerked away. "What the Hades?" he exclaimed. "Celia, get away from her right now!"

Diane's expression turned sour. There was something in those eyes that told her it was not the friend she had grown up with. Celia bolted, ripping her hand from Diane's, who roared in outrage and started glowing with silver energy. She blasted Anthony across the plaza. "No!" Celia screamed. "Who are you? What have you done with Diane?"

The girl laughed. "Gaea was foolish. She attacked in her own body. Perhaps if she had taken a host of her own she would have won. Kronos was wiser, but not by much. He took the body of that boy, Luke Castellan, and attacked Olympus. We gods need humans to carry out our plans, it has always been this way. But Luke was too mature, already set in his ways, and Kronos lost control in the end. This Diane girl is young, impressionable. She will easily bend to my will," she explained as sliver beams of light danced across her fingers.

"Who are you?!" Celia screamed again, appalled by the idea someone- no, some_thing _else had taken over the body of an innocent girl.

"I am the moon. I am Selene," Diane told them as she hovered inches above the ground. "And I will have _vengeance!_" As she shouted the last word, a wave of her magic flowed over the constellation sphere, and it began to ripple like water. Then the most strange thing happened.

A painted on star popped off the ball and floated in midair, glowing intensely. It floated out further, pulling behind it a luminous string that connected to another star, which came off as well. More and more stars flew off the globe, faster and faster, all connected to one another. They formed the shape of an enormous scorpion, his form fading in and out but the stars on his outline always burning bright. The words that had been engraved in the sphere over him still showed on his side. They said _Scorpius - The Scorpion. _Well, duh. Suddenly another constellation sprung to life beside him. This one was an enormous bird that seemed to have flames all across its wings, hopping from feather to feather sporadically. Its inscription said _Pheonix - The Pheonix. _Seriously, were those second parts really necessary? More and more popped of the globe until it was nothing but a plain black ball. An army of constellations, about a hundred, stood behind Diane, and she giggled like a little girl.

Anthony was just coming to from the blast. "What the-" He noticed the menacing group. "What are they?"

"They, dear boy, are the constellations. All eighty-eight, following my orders alone," Diane informed him. She turned to look at her minions. "Left battalion, find this time card they were speaking of. Central battalion, retrieve the golden cup. Right battalion, destroy our enemies," she inscructed them. They charged forward towards Celia, Anthony, and Willow. "Oh, this going to be so much fun!"

Willow pressed the cup into Anthony's hands. "You take the cup," she told him. "Run as fast as you can." He didn't question it. He was, after all, the fastest among them. "Celia, you go find the timecard before they do and get Apollo out of there. I'll handle the attackers." Celia didn't want to go. The odds of Willow surviving against so many enemies was virtually inexistenet. But there wasn't any other option. She sprinted away as the first constellations made it to Willow.

She found herself in another restaurant. _May as well start looking, _she said to herself, but she saw the constellations had the same idea. A guy holding a bunch of snakes trudged slowly towards her, snakes falling off every time he moved. Luckily they passed right through mortals, but she a vague suspicion the same wasn't true for demigods. His inscription said _Ophiuchus - Serpent Bearer. _Behind him a grandfather clock floated forward. That sounded innocent enough, put the pendulum within was covered sharp like a saw blade, and it was swinging wildly. It said _Horologium - Pendulum Clock. _Behind both of them a literal mountain bowled through the cafe, crushing tables and tearing up cement. Luckily it wasn't full size - it was like a miniature version about twenty feet tall. It read _Mensa - Mountain. _These three tore through the restaurant, searching for the time card. It was hard to tell what the mortals saw, but they could see enough to run out of there screaming.

Celia moved like a cheetah around the plaza, looking under tables and chairs for her prize. As she headed for the bar area, she heard a ticking noise growing louder behind her. She whirled around just in time to see Horologium charging at her, its pendulum hungry for blood. She was caught without a weapon on her, so she quickly grew a thorny vine from the ground and ripped it out. Suddenly she had a pretty nasty-looking whip at her disposal. Unfortunately, she had never handled a whip before. She swung it with all her might and it slapped against the murderous clock with a satisfying crack. The constellation seemed to come apart, and the stars floated up into the heavens. Apparently celestial bronze or imperial gold weren't even necessary to destroy these guys, maybe because they weren't really monsters. They were just hypnotized into doing evil.

Celia rolled back behind the bar to see the bartender hiding, his eyes wide with fear. "What's going on?" he asked her, his voice quivering. "Who are you? What are they?" His eyes locked on something behind Celia. "Snake!" Celia turned to see a transparent viper slithering toward her, no doubt dropped by Ophiochus. She cracked her makeshift whip at the serpent, and it faded out of existence.

"How could you see that? You're not supposed to be able to see that," Celia said to the bartender, who was running a hand through his spiky black hair.

"I don't know," he told her. "I see wierd stuff all the time. Giant birds, sea monsters - but nobody ever believes me." He started playing the tiny golden hoop he wore on his left ear.

"You must be the sort of person that can see through the Mist," Celia muttered to herself.

"The what? Mist? I have no idea what you're talking about," he admitted, scooching closer to her.

"It's like this magic veil that stops regular people from-" Celia paused in her explanation, listening for the strange rumbling noise she had heard just a second ago. Then she remembered what she was up against. "Run!" she cried, jumping out of the way. Her new friend wasn't fast enough. The mountain demolished the bar and rolled over him. He screamed as he hovered in its center, writhing with no hope of escape. Celia wished that the mountain wasn't transparent; then she couldn't see what was happening. But as it was, she found it impossible to look away. He suddenly froze mid-scream, and the outline of his body was traced in stars. As his image faded, the stars floated out of the top of the mountain and into the midday sky.

Celia didn't miss a beat. Though she felt horrible about what had just happened, she had a job to do, so she clambered up the side of the mountain and grappled the peak. She wrapped her whip around it and pulled tight. She sliced through the constellation like it was warm butter, and it too faded into a bunch of stars floating aimlessly away.

She saw the spent bearer slowly approaching her, but rather than engage in a fight she ran for the nearest building. After all, the card didn't seem to be in the cafe, and she was sure that the three constellations dealing with her weren't the only ones on the job.

She found herself in an empty theater with an enormous screen on one side. At least, she thought it was empty until she saw a middle-aged man with a shirt bown beard walking towards her. He wore a uniform just like Apollo's, with a navy blue shirt, khaki pants, and black loafers. "Hey there kid, I'm Chryses," he told Celia. "We don't have much time for chit-chat, so I'll get to the point. I'm a priest of Apollo, or at least I was back in the old days, and I'm here to keep him company for the next thousand years. I was doing some digging into this timecard business, and I made a peculiar discovery."

"Well, what is it?" Celia asked him.

"Well, when Zeus sent Apollo here, he was effectively exiling him from the world of the gods. _Killing _him, in a way. So if you look at a map of this place you'll see that-" he suddenly stopped, choking, as a strand of transparent hair curled around his throat. A new constellation had snuck up on them. It looked like a wig made of stars. On it, the inscription said _Coma Berenices - The Hair of Berenices._ It enveloped him, sucking him in and reducing him to stars just like the mountain had done to the bartender. Reacting late, Willow snapped her whip and destroyed the evil follicles. She darted out of there as fast as she could.

She found herself in a new outdoor area. Luckily, an information kiosk was just to her right. A bored looking teen was sitting there, but she perked up when Celia approached. "Hey, I'm Tara. How can I help you?" she asked.

"I'm looking for a map," Celia told her. Tara started giggling as she reached under her desk.

"It's kind of funny. You're _looking _for a _map,_" she explained, and maybe Celia would have laughed some other time. "Here you go." Celia snatched the map away from her. She looked at it intently. _Killing him, in a way -_ that's what Chryses had said it sounded important, almost like a joke that he had made. She scanned it searching for something that connected. A graveyard, maybe? No, they wouldn't have that here. Then she saw something. In the corner of the map, a small gray circle.

"Oh, duh," Celia muttered to herself, just as the map burned to a crisp in her hand. She shrieked and jumped backward. She didn't know how the constellations kept sneaking up on her, but the pheonix from before stood before her now, licks of fire curling from its jagged beak. It screeched at her, as if to say, _Back off!_ and it soared away into another building.

_You're going the wrong way, _Celia thought as she strolled along the path, trying to stay unnoticed. Finally she arrived at her destination. An enormous black stone wall, stretching probably twenty feet into the air. Scattered across it were several names inscribed in silver. Large lettering ran across the top of the slab: ASTRONAUT MEMORIAL. Celia figured in someone died, their name would be put up here. And if Zeus had basically killed Apollo, maybe she could find anew clue, or even the card itself, somewhere around here.

She scanned the bottom of the display, though nothing seemed out of place to her. She willed a tree to begin to grow underneath her. She slowly ascended among its branches, weaving from side to side and reading every name written. She suddenly stopped, her eyes caught by one named that seemed different from the others. She realized it was written in gold, rather than silver. Gold; the color of Apollo. No way that was a coincidence. She scrambled over to it a read the name: A.O. POLL, shining brightly in the sunlight. It was simple to rearrange the letters and see the name of the sun god himself. She had found what she was looking for, but she still had no idea what it meant.

She ran her hand over the stone, feeling for something strange. Her fingers caught on an imperfection in the otherwise smooth rock, and she pulled on the tiny protrusion. A hunk of stone came away immediately, and much more easily than Celia expected. She was caught by surprise, and she couldn't help but drop it ten feet to the ground below, where it shattered on impact. She winced; a noise like that would certainly tell the constellations where she was. She turned back to the hole she had discovered, and she peeked inside. Sure enough, crumpled on the side of the rocky nook was a tan card. She snatched it up greedily and unfolded it, revealing a time card with the name Adam Olympus written the top. _Apollo's fake name, _she thought. A smile spread across her face. It seemed impossible, but they were actually winning. If she could just let out Apollo he would take out their enemies in seconds.

She let the tree shrink back down to the ground and sprinted back towards the gift shop. Everything was going fine until she got covered in water. She sputtered, looking around for the source. Yet another constellation was chasing behind her. This one was a well-muscled man in a swimming suit. He held a bucket in his hands, full of water. He tossed it again, and in the blink of an eye it was full again. His inscription read _Aquarius - Water Bearer. _Celia held the card against her heart, shielding it from the endless onslaught. She didn't know how much it could take before the card wouldn't work anymore. She finding it hard to breathe, and even harder to see, when she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her hand. She screamed and dropped the card as her blood dripped to the floor. She saw what had attacked her; a single arrow, moving on its own without an archer. On it, it said _Sagitta - Arrow._ It speared the soggy timecard and zoomed away. "No!" Celia yelled, and she started after it, but another splash made her stop. She turned around and cracked her whip at the annoying constellation. He dissolved into stars. Celia kept running after the arrow. It seemed to be headed for a larger group of constellations up ahead. She could hear screaming from the center of the group. Then she realized: this was the spot where Willow had been fighting.

"Weaken her!" Selene shouted, floating above the group. "Break her will, but do not break her body! She suits me better than this Diane girl, but she is harder to control. Open the way for me! Prove your worth or I will send you right back to space!"

That didn't sound good. If Selene was trying to make Willow her host instead of Diane, there was no telling what would happen to either girl. Not to mention the world.

As the arrow wormed its way into the group, Celia figured she may as well kill two birds with one stone. She whipped her way through the crowd, sending zodiacs and household items alike back into the sky where they belonged. She ran up to Willow, who was laying unconscious on the pavement. Celia cursed, dragging her away towards the side of a building before running back into the fray.

She drove her way through the enemy like a whirlwind. All she could see were stars, but for once, it was a good thing. She sighed with relief as the last constellation faded away. She noticed the timecard sitting on the cobblestones a few feet away. It seemed to be mending itself from the arrow attack; after all, Zeus had to make it hardy or it would never last a thousand years. Just as Celia began walk towards it, Selene swooped in from out of nowhere, scooping up the card with a sly grin.

"Aw, it looks like you lost again," she taunted, waving the card in front of her face. Celia was dumbstruck. She still didn't really know who Selene was, so she couldn't think of any possible weaknesses. Then again, it was still Diane's body, right? And if there was one thing that Diane couldn't stand...it seemed impossible but it just might work, if she could somehow get close enough to Selene.

Suddenly the rest of the constellations charged in from behind Selene, the limp body of Anthony held high over them. A beautiful woman made of stars emerged from the horde, the golden goblet held in her hand. "Ah, thank you, Cassiopeia!" Selene said, snatching it away. "Go retrieve the daughter of Hera," she commanded, and a bear came over to drag Willow off. "All my prizes within my grasp." Her eyes locked on Celia. "All but one."

Selene lunged. Celia took her chance and hoped that she could catch Selene off guard. She dodged to the left and shoved a hand in at Selene's neck, wiggling her fingers ferociously. Selene suddenly collapsed to the floor, laughing like an idiot. "What...what did you to me?" she asked between giggles.

Celia plucked the card from her hands and started sprinting for the gift shop. "It's called tickling," she called back over her shoulder. "Enjoy your new body!" She pushed through the doors and into the Space Shop. She leaped right over a display of plushies and knocked over a rack of t-shirts as she bowled towards the desk.

"Yeah! You can do it!" Apollo cheered. She could feel his power growing just from being so close to freedom. She was only twenty feet away.

"No! I don't lose!" Selene cried. The deranged goddess was flying across the store, faster than Celia could fathom. But the timecard slot was so close. _Victory _was so close. She was ten feet away. Selene was rapidly gaining on her. Five feet. She made a final leap, aiming the card right for the slot. She couldn't miss. In that moment, Celia knew she had won.

But Selene just wouldn't quit. No more than a centimeter away from winning, Celia's hopes were shattered as the iron grip of her once friend closed on the card. But Celia wouldn't give up. She held on with all her might, fighting to pull it away from the goddess, until suddenly-

Celia fell back onto the ground, accompanied by a sickening ripping noise. "No..." she whimpered as she stared at piece of the time card she carried. The jagged edge left from the tear almost brought a tear to her eye. So close, and yet, still so far. Selene held the other half in her hand. Celia noticed the piece in her hand was starting to glow, as was Selene's. All of a sudden, a shockwave of golden energy ripped through the store, and Celia had the feeling it had carried for miles around. Selene looked stunned, weakened greatly by the power let out from destroying the card.

"Don't you see, Selene? Your time has come and passed," Apollo told her. "You've already faded, so has Helios. When will you see that?"

"Never!" Selene screamed at him. "You and your stupid twin stole what was rightfully ours! All the gods must suffer! The faded ones shall rise and rule the world once more!" She bolted out of the store. Celia ran after her into the plaza, and saw that all the constellations had been decimated by the magic blast. Willow and Anthony were still unconscious on the ground. Selene started to glow with a faint silver light that slowly grew in intensity. "I will be back, daughter of Demeter, make no mistake. And once I have mastered this body and slain my _darling _sister, the universe is mine for the taking. I simply cannot wait to taste your blood on my lips," Selene growled. With a piercing cackle, she exploded like a supernova. There was no trace of her left.

Celia collapsed on the ground and cried. She had lost. Totally, completely lost. Selene had the goblet, the timecard, and her three best friends. What did Celia have? Two unconscious demigods and half of a magical card. She went back into the shop to talk to Apollo, who appeared to be on the brink of tears himself.

"Apollo, I'm sorry. You aren't getting let out any time soon. Maybe never, now that Selene has the card," Celia told him.

"Oh, forget about _me_!" he shouted. He seemed surprised at himself for saying it, but he kept talking. "The whole world is in danger, and freeing a stuck-up sun god hardly matters. You have to stop Selene and Helios."

"Who are they, even?" Celia asked, hungry for answers.

"Selene and Helios, the primordial gods of the sun and the moon, brother and sister. Artemis and I sort of, well, we replaced them. Like, cast them out of existence. They weren't needed anymore," he explained.

"Well, that sounds pretty awful," Celia admitted. "I get why they're upset if the whole universe just shut them out, forced them to stop existing."

"Well, when you put it like that you make it sound like we did something wrong," he said, sounding exasperated.

"You did! You were already the god of medicine, and music, and prophecy. Did you really have to take the sun away from Helios?" she berated him.

"It wasn't my idea, okay? The point is, they're out for revenge, and if they accomplish their plan, they will be _very_ hard to stop," he warned her.

"So what are we supposed to do now?" she asked, a cold feeling of hopelessness taking over,

"It looks like they are trying to get Artemis and I out of the way, so I would try to find her. And if you can, get the other half of the timecard and put them back together to set me free," he instructed. "I'd be a big help in the end."

"I'm sure. But do you have any idea where Artemis is?"

"I heard she was traveling around for new recruits to join the Hunters of Artemis. As far as I know, she's somewhere in Oklahoma," he said with a shrug. "You really should be going, now. Who knows how long we have before the prophecy is fulfilled?"

"Good point. I hope I'll see you soon, Apollo."

"You too, Celia. Good luck!" he called to her as she walked back to her friends.

"Good luck? Yeah, right," she muttered under her breath as she gathered up her friends for the long trip west. They had to find Artemis at any cost. But as Willow and Anthony started to wake up, she could still her the cruel laughter of Selene, echoing endlessly in her head.


	14. XIV - Willow

Willow

Oklahoma City maybe wasn't the right place, but Willow was far too tired to go any further.

She had been carrying the three of them across the country with her wings. Willow was a strong girl, there wasn't any question about that, but she had her limits. Apparently, going from Florida to central Oklahoma was her limit.

She was sweating up a storm and her whole body was shaking by the time Celia said, "This is the biggest city in Oklahoma. Artemis is probably here." That was all Willow needed to hear to plummet to the ground, catching them at the last second and gently touching down.

"Thanks, Willow," Celia said as she worked her way out of the sling they had made in Orlando. "I don't know what we would have done without you."

"Why did we land here?" Anthony asked, trying to get the harness over his head.

"Well, for one thing, Willow is exhausted. And Apollo said that Artemis was out here looking for new recruits, so it makes sense that she would go to the place with the most people. Oklahoma City is the biggest city in Oklahoma. It's only logical."

"The question is, where do we find her?" Willow wondered, still gasping for breath. Her lungs felt like they were on fire from breathing in the thin air for so long.

"The way I see it, we go look for a monster, and Artemis will be there too," Celia explained.

"So where do we find a monster?" Anthony asked. His question was answered sooner than he would have liked. An enormous green snake, longer than a bus, whipped through the street faster than a bullet. Anthony immediately started sniping it with arrows, but his aim was off due to the sling around his head. Willow started stabbing at it with her sword, but it dodged every thrust. Celia started pulling out the whip she had made for herself back in Orlando, but she was too slow. The serpent curled around her leg and stabbed its foot-long fangs into the meat of her thigh. She shrieked and collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Willow saw the chance and she took it. She sprinted up behind the snake and stabbed it in the back. To her surprise, a noxious green gas started leaking from its skin like air from a balloon. She started choking, her vision swimming, the world seemingly melting around her. She backpedaled until she was out of the cloud, and though she didn't feel very good, she could tell she was okay.

The snake slithered towards her, hissing, faster than Willow could fathom. Anthony shouted, "No!" as the python opened its frightening pink maw wide and prepared to strike.

Suddenly twenty silver arrows sprouted from all over the ferocious reptile. It spun around, confused, as a horde of girls launched out of the shadows, screaming battle cries. They continued sniping the snake with their seemingly never-ending supply of silver arrows. The creature realized it was outnumbered and slithered off.

"Oh, come on! We were so close that time!" said a short girl, stepping forward. She had pale skin and a shock of wavy red hair, not too different from Celia. She seemed to be about thirteen. She wore a gray parka and black pants. Actually, the whole group was wearing that. "Why can't we just kill that stupid python?"

"It's okay, Allie. Now we know where it is, at least," another girl told her. This girl was tall, with dark skin and thick, curly raven hair. Her dark eyes glimmered with intelligence, and Willow could tell she was a leader among these girls. Well, half of the girls, at least. There was a clear division within the group, and one side was casting dirty looks at her.

"So, what's your brilliant plan this time, Renee? What do we do now?" a girl from the other group asked. She was just as tall as Renee, but far more fierce. Her eyes seemed to perpetually squint, like she was scrutinizing everything she saw. Her light brown hair was tied back in a tight braid, and her long arms were crossed over her chest. She seemed like she was in charge of the other group, though maybe more by fear than compassion. Willow didn't understand what was going on. These were the Hunters of Artemis, obviously, but they were supposed a cohesive group. It looked like they were rivals rather than a team.

"We head back to base camp and make sure Thalia is doing okay. What do you think, Josie?" Renee asked, straightening the quiver on her back. She may have sounded polite, but there was an undertone of annoyance in everything she said.

"Well, obviously we should figure out who they are first," Josie said, waving her bow towards Willow, "and decide if we should kill them or help them."

"A good point. They were fighting the python, and as the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend," Renee reasoned, before marching over to them with the shorter girl, Allie, in tow.

"Hey. We're the Hunters of Artemis," the short girl said.

"Don't just give them information!" Josie warned.

"I think that part is pretty obvious just by looking at us. It's not exactly a secret," Allie retorted. "Anyway, who are you guys?"

"I'm Willow, this is Anthony, and that's Celia," Willow explained. "She was bitten by that snake, she needs help."

"Of course. We'll talk more back at the base," Renee told them, scooping Celia into her muscular arms. The group of girls began bounding off down the street. Willow and Anthony (who had finally managed to get out of the sling) had no choice but to sprint after.

As they ran, Willow could hear the frustrated mutterings of Josie. "This is stupidly dangerous...betray us, I assure you...should've killed them on the spot..." Nice little things like that.

Eventually they arrived a tall gray stone building in the inner city. A sign nearby said: _THE AMBASSADOR HOTEL. _It looked really fancy, and Willow couldn't help but wonder how a bunch of teen girls could afford it. Then again, they were traveling with a goddess. Artemis probably had some pretty good connections.

As they entered the lavish lobby, the Mist managed to amaze Willow yet again. The lady at the front desk just flashed them a sweet smile. A businessman staring at his iPhone didn't even glance up when they barreled past. No one seemed to care that a pack of teen girls (one of whom was unconscious) and one boy were charging through the five star hotel. "Up the stairs, people!" Josie yelled. Willow and Anthony were carried along in the tidal wave of bodies onto tap staircase. Willow was struggling to keep up, and Anthony was basically left behind. Willow didn't understand how they could all keep so fit. She was grateful when they finally made it to the landing, with seemed to be on the top floor.

"You're staying in the penthouse?" Willow asked Allie, who had kept pace with her the whole time.

"Yeah. Artemis won't settle for less," Allie told her. Josie pushed open the doors to the only room on the floor, revealing an extravagant parlor with an excessive number of couches and armchairs. Oil paintings of random scenes were hung at regular intervals around the room. Clear sliding doors across the room led out to balcony with its own hot tub. Several doors led off into unknown rooms; kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms. There were only two people there when they walked in. One was a girl about sixteen with spiky black hair that Willow recognized from camp: Thalia Grace. She was laying on a red velvet loveseat with a grimace plastered across her face. The other person was a twelve year old girl with auburn hair in a ponytail flowing down her back. She glanced over at them and Willow caught her breath. She was impossibly beautiful. Willow had a run in with Aphrodite once, and the goddess was, of course, gorgeous, but in more of a supermodel way. This girl was more rugged and fierce. It was the air of confidence that she had that made her beautiful more than anything else. Her eyes glimmered like silver speckled with gold. The girl immediately assessed the situation and jumped up to meet them.

"You, the boy," she said, pointing at Anthony. "Go tend to Thalia." Clearly this girl sort of scared him, because he ran over to the sickly hunter without any hesitation. "What's wrong with that one?"

"Bitten by the python. She's almost dead," Renee said, setting Celia down in an armchair opposite Thalia.

The girl with the ponytail tossed a vial of orange paste to Anthony. "Apply that to your friend's wounds." Anthony looked like he was going to respond, but then thought better of it and scooped some out onto his fingers. He started rubbing it over Celia's wound. "Now, you," the girl said, turning to Willow. "Tell us your story."

"If you don't mind my asking, would you tell me who you are first?" Willow inquired.

"I am Artemis, goddess of the hunt. Now, tell me why you are here," the girl explained. Willow was dumbstruck, but only for a second. She knew that gods could take any form they wanted. She just didn't expect that a goddess would take the form of a tween girl. She got over her shock quickly and began recounting the story. As she spoke, she realized for the first time that what they had done really was pretty incredible. She was a hero. A hero in the making, at least. By the time she finished, all the hunters were listening intently.

"Helios and Selene? I would not have expected them capable of this treachery. I thought they had faded beyond reach eons ago," Artemis muttered. "But do not worry about me. I am fully capable of protecting myself from a few washed up Titans. We must sleep on the news and allow Thalia and Celia to recover. Both have been bitten, and it is a miracle that either survived."

"You realized you were treating them wrong with this stuff?" Anthony commented, staring at the orange goop. "It doesn't go on the skin. They eat it. It goes in their mouths. Not on the wound."

The hunters just stared. "Well, then put it in their mouths instead," Artemis told him. "Now, off to bed, my hunters." Anthony just sighed and set the vial down on an end table.

"Willow, you may share a room with Allie and Renee. Anthony, we don't allow co-ed sleeping, and all of the rooms are full, so you may help yourself to any of the couches in this lovely room," Artemis instructed them. Once again, Anthony looked like he wanted to say something back, but he held his tongue. Willow flashed him a tired smile and went through one of the doors after Allie and Renee.

Inside she saw a double bed and a twin bed, plush and soft for the optimized sleeping experience. "You can have the twin," Allie told her. "Renee and I don't mind sleeping together."

"Sure, thanks," Willow said, flopping down on top of the comforter. "So, what's up with that Josie girl?"

"Oh, she's just bitter," Renee said. "Ever since the greek and roman demigods discovered each other, Artemis has started recruiting both types. That in itself sort of split the group. Allie and I are greek. Josie and her friends are roman. It's an age old rivalry. But because Artemis usually takes her greek form, Josie has this crazy idea that she favors her greek hunters, and that's the only reason that I'm second in command instead of her. The fact is, I'm just better than Josie." Allie chuckled at that.

"So, you guys are demigods, too?" Willow got nods in response. "Who are your parents?"

"Áte's my mom," Allie said. "Goddess of mischief. It's pretty cool, I guess."

"My dad is Hypnos, god of sleep. Josie is a child of Mars, of course," Renee informed her. "But enough chatter, we really should get some sleep. There's no telling how early in the morning a monster will attack." She flipped off the light switch. "Good night," she said, waving her hand in the air. Willow barely processed that she was doing some sort of sleep magic before she was lost in the strange world of dreams.

She saw random snippets that could mean any number of things, but the regular irregularity was interrupted by a frantic Rachel Dare. "Willow!" she screamed. Willow would have woken up it was real, but Rachel had just infiltrated her sleep somehow. "Oh, thank the gods I found you! There's some crazy stuff happening."

"How is the camp doing?" Willow asked.

"Not good. Most of the Apollo campers are dead, so its pretty hard to heal anyone. And there are a lot of injuries. Tityus is still here, harnessing Leto's power to attack the camp. Almost every cabin is destroyed. He just keeps asking for Jason, and he says he'll leave after he's dead, but we all know that's not true. Some of us made it to Bunker 9, so that's where I am now. But that's not such a big deal for you, what's important is that the prophecy I gave you was incomplete. Ella and I just discovered a new piece," Rachel explained.

Willow's curiosity was peaked. A new piece of the prophecy could change everything, give the info they needed to finish the quest and save the world. "What is it?"

"It goes like this," Rachel said, clearing her throat. She began to recite the poetic verse.

"_The twins that made the Titans blind,_

_The three who hold the card of time,_

_Along with the seven of glories past,_

_Must make the eclipse fall at last."_

Willow just sighed. Instead of giving her clues, the new prophecy had just left her with more puzzles to solve. "Thanks, Rachel. I'll tell the others and we'll try to figure it out."

"Good luck. I've got to go. Hopefully I'll see you soon!" Rachel said, as Willow shot bolt upright in bed. From the sunlight shining through the window, it was the next morning. Allie and Renee were gone. Suddenly Anthony burst into the room.

"Willow! Get up. There's something weird going on," he told her. "And it looks like its all about Piper McLean."


	15. XV - Anthony

Anthony

Anthony could tell the hunters didn't like him much.

The way that Artemis had just cast him aside and barely acknowledged him, well, it stung a little bit. He deserved some recognition for saving Thalia and Celia's lives. They would have died if he hadn't realized they were supposed to eat the medicine rather than put it on their skin, but somehow those arrogant girls made him sound like an idiot anyway.

He woke up in the early morning to Artemis and Renee talking in hushed tones.

"This could be very, very bad for all of us. The seven are in danger," Renee whispered. Anthony remained still. This sounded like a conversation he wasn't meant to hear.

"Piper coming here can't be a coincidence. There's definitely a connection, but if it's true that they're being targeted ... they must be pivotal in the new prophecy as well," Artemis whispered back. "We must find her and take her into our custody. Her father as well. Other wise the python will make it to her, and-" Artemis suddenly stopped. Anthony held his breath. "Anthony Mimir, come over here this instant!"

Anthony cursed under his breath and walked over to the coffee table where the two were gathered. "Why did you not tell us you were awake?"

"I didn't want to interrupt. It sounded like you were discussing important things," he explained.

"This concerns you just as much as anyone else," Artemis told him. She pat the chair next to her. "Sit, and listen." He complied and let his body melt into the padded seat. "Are you aware of Piper McLean?"

"Yeah, I met her once or twice at camp," Anthony told them. He didn't like where this was going.

"It appears she has been here in Oklahoma City for the past few days with her father." Artemis passed him a flyer. "We found this outside."

He skimmed over the thin sheet of paper. "Tristan McLean is signing movie posters in the city? So what?"

"It means that Piper is here too. She has become much closer with her dad over the past few months. Before she left camp she said she was going around the country with him."

"So ... she's here. What does that mean?" Anthony asked, confused.

Artemis and Renee shared a look, like, _Boys._ "It means that the python is here for her, not us. I was already here before we arrived, but it seems like it came here in sync with her," Renee explained. "Obviously it was sent by Helios and Selene, so they must be after Piper for some reason."

"We have to find her immediately, or she may be doomed. Oh, if only Thalia hadn't been bitten by that accursed snake, she always knows what to do," Artemis said sadly.

"Oh, I'll get her up," Anthony said, walking over to where the daughter of Zues was sleeping.

"What are you doing? She's horribly wounded, you saw that for yourself yesterday. She's in no condition to-"

"Thalia, wake up!" Anthony shouted, shaking her shoulder. Her eyes flew open and she jumped off the couch.

"What's going on? I had the strangest dream." She suddenly noticed Anthony and pulled a dagger out of her boot, holding it against his neck. "Lady Artemis, should I kill him? Are we being invaded?"

"No, Thalia, he healed you! He is a good boy!" Artemis shouted at her. She lowered her dagger hesitantly. "I don't understand. We used that medicine on her for days, with hardly any change, and in one night you managed to-"

"It's the medicine. It's really powerful, perfect for this stuff. But you kept applying it wrong, so it wasn't effective. Once I put it in her mouth, she was good to go," Anthony explained, proud of himself.

"Okay. Thalia, we need your advice," Artemis said, motioning for her to come over and sit in the chair Anthony had occupied just a moment ago. Anthony couldn't believe it- no matter how much he did, he would never get credit. He was just a stupid boy.

"What is it? What's happening?" the huntress asked. "The last thing I remember we were hunting a giant snake, and then ... it's all blank."

"You were bitten, and the venom knocked you unconscious for a few days."

"What? But I - what did I miss?" Thalia asked, bewildered. As Artemis and Renee told the story, the rest of the hunters started trickling out from their rooms. First Josie, the scary girl, came out and immediately joined in on explaining. It seemed like she and Renee kept trying to talk over each other, as though whoever ended the story would win. Next a sleepy-looking Allie wandered out of her bedroom, rubbing her eyes and yawning. Eventually all of the girls were crowded around the table.

"...and so, if we have any hope of saving Piper, we must go right away. We have wasted too much daylight already. Anthony, go get Willow from her room," Artemis commanded. He complied, and returned to see strangely intense sunlight shining through the windows.

"Why is the sun so bright?" he asked, shielding his eyes.

"We don't really know. It sort of just lit up," Allie said.

"Oh, little hunters! Come out to play!" a voice shouted through the window. The crowd of girls swelled forward to see the source, but it seemed to come from nowhere. "My snake wants a snack!"

"Reveal yourself!" Artemis commanded.

Outside a figure started to materialize out of the sunlight. It certainly wasn't what he expected to see- a thirteen year old boy hovering in midair. He laughed and began juggling fireballs between his hands. "Please, I'm in dire need of practice! I have so many new moves to try out in my human form!"

"Helios," Artemis growled.

"I'll be waiting for you. So will Piper McLean. If you don't hurry, well, she'll just have to feed my snake instead of you." He waved at them, a smug look on his face, as his body unwound itself into rays of sunlight and disolved into thin air.

"Get Celia up, Allie. Josie, fit our newcomers with proper weaponry. Renee and Thalia, lead our first battalion against Helios. Go!" Artemis shouted, and the hunters rushed into action.

"This way," Josie said to them, marching away at a brisk pace. "We hunters all use bows of Numinous Silver, but we've picked up lots of weapons across our journey. We're keeping them in a separate hotel room." She shoved them into the elevator and shoved the button with unnecessary force. Soon they were down on the fifth floor and, quick as a wink, Josie had swiped a keycard through a door's lock and was ushering them inside.

Anthony couldn't believe his eyes. More weaponry than he could fathom filled the cramped hotel room. There was a mace hanging of the TV, a trident resting on top of the ceiling fan, and a set of wicked-looking knives tucked into the bed. Not only that, but there was a collection of bows better than any he had ever used before. What he would give to get his hands on one of those.

"What do you guys prefer?" Josie asked gruffly.

"I'm an archer, myself," Anthiny told her. Before he was done talking, she had shoved a silver bow and quiver into his arms.

"The bow is blessed by Artemis to never miss, and the quiver is enchanted to never run out of arrows," she explained. "Now, what about you, Willow?"

"My current sword is fine," Willow assured her.

"Don't be stupid. I know weapons, and that blade is way too dull. Besides, it's too short for practical use, and it's not really versatile. Try this," Josie said, thrusting a golden sword into Willow's arms.

"Well, I guess this is pretty good, but-" Willow started.

"Spin it," Josie instructed. Dubiously Willow twirled the blade, and to her surprise it split into to two thin blades which flew into her hands. "Spin them again, and it becomes a sword. Trust me, it's much better for your fighting style."

"How do you know my fighting style?" Willow asked, skeptical.

"I'm a child of Mars. What else are we good for?" Josie said as she exchanged the bow she was wearing for a bigger one. It looked like she was going heavy-duty in this battle. "Now, if there's no one else who needs weapons, we can-"

"I've got Celia!" Allie shouted a she burst into the room, supporting a half-wake Celia.

"Are you crazy? That girl is in no condition to fight. She'll be killed out there," Josie chastised her.

"No, really, I'm fine. I just have to get active and I'm sure I can work through the poison," Celia assured Josie, grimacing. "Get me a weapon."

"Fine. You fight with a whip? Not very traditional. Let's see what we can find." Josie began rummaging through piles of swords, spears, and other assorted weaponry. "Ah, here we go." She began pulling on what looked like a shiny bronze rope. "This whip is infused with celestial bronze fibers, for maximum damage. It was the prize whip of Diomedes."

Celia recoiled. "Diomedes? No offense, I don't want anything that used to belong to that guy."

"Why? He was a hero of the Trojan war; you should feel honored to be anywhere near his weapon," Josie explained.

"Really? I thought he was the King of Thrace," Anthony offered. "At least, that's what he told us back in Kentucky."

"King of Thrace? That's a different Diomedes. Yeah, that guy was a creep," Allie explained. "This Diomedes was an epic warrior and an honorable man. Trust me, using his whip is a pretty big deal."

"Oh. Okay." Celia motioned for the whip.

"Wait, I haven't shown you the best part," Josie said. "Have you ever seen Percy Jackson's sword, Riptide? No? Well, it turns into a pen when he's not using it. The whip is the same way." Josie shaped the whip into a loop and suddenly it was a simple bronze necklace with a topaz dangling from it. She unclasped it and it was a whip again. "Try it on."

Celia hesitantly strung the whip around her neck. It morphed into the necklace instantly, and Anthony was struck by Celia's beauty. The bronze was radiant against her pale skin, and the orange topaz brightened her hazel eyes. He realized he was staring, so he cleared his throat and stared at his shoes.

"Now, let's go, people! Move it or lose it!" Josie suddenly shouted, scaring Anthony more than he'd like to admit. He bolted from the room with his companions in tow.

"I have something to tell you guys," Willow said as they ran. "Probably should have mentioned it before, but I didn't really get the chance. There's more to the prophecy."

She explained her dream of Rachel, and recounted the lines. Anthony didn't know why, but the prophecy reassured him that their quest would be okay. They had a goal now, they knew what they had to do to win.

They burst outside and Anthony almost fainted from the heat. Sure, it was summer, but he felt like he was inside of an oven. "What the-"

"It's Helios messing with us. He's going to burn us alive," Allie complained, holding her hand over her eyes to block the glare from the sun.

"No complaining! A true legionarre can fight under any conditions!" Josie screamed, and they started bounding forward again.

"Josie, in case you didn't notice, we aren't a legion. We're a team," Allie reminded her.

"Every team is just a smaller legion. We need to be vigilant and strong!" Josie told them, and she carried on, pumping her legs vigorously. "Piper and her dad are at 1901 N.W. Expressway. At least, that's where they _should _be."

They followed the street signs through the city, eventually reaching a movie theater with the address they were looking for.

"They're at a movie theater?" Celia asked.

"Signing movie posters, yeah. Come on!" Josie said, and they hurried inside. They saw a sprawling lobby with red carpet and dark wooden walls. They ticket counter was deserted, and no one was manning the concessions booth. Anthony was tempted to steal a box of candy, but there were more pressing matters at hand. "They should be right over there," Josie told them, pointing at a table with a sign in front of it reading, _Meet Tristan McLean! Today Only!_

"Oh, little hunters! Come out to play!" Helios shouted from somewhere around them.

"August," Celia whispered. "We have to save him."

"It's not August. It's Helios, in his body," Willow reminded her. "We'll see what we can do, but he's not our priority right now."

"Are you sure about that? Because I'm the biggest threat to you right now. Well, actually, my python is," Helios shouted. Suddenly the serpent erupted from behind a standee of Tristan McLean holding a gun. It almost seemed as though the snake had gotten bigger and faster since the last time it had attacked. Allie and Josie had filled it with arrows before Anthony even knew what was going on. The noxious gas that had come out of it before spilled out from the puncture wounds, but the python wasn't even fazed. "Do you know the legend of the python?" Helios asked. "An age old enemy of Apollo, that he fought in the days of his youth. As far as I'm concerned, an enemy of Apollo is a friend of mine!"

Suddenly the snake was upon them. Allie screamed as the python struck her and she collapsed. "Retreat!" Josie yelled, and they charged away down a hallway. They tried to evade him but the serpent was faster than them. "Split up!"

It made sense. The snake couldn't hunt all of them. He was vaguely aware of Josie running up a staircase, Willow ducking into the woman's restroom, and Celia charging through a door marked, _EMPLOYEES ONLY._ Anthony ran through the closest door and found himself in a theater. Some generic movie about an uprising in a dystopian future played on the screen. It looked like the snake wasn't after him, so he started exploring. All of the chairs were empty; all of the mortals must have evacuated.

He walked down an empty aisle. He was about to grab a handful of popcorn from an unattended bucket (he hadn't eaten yet that day), but a callused hand clasped around his forehead, pulling him to the floor. "What are you doing?" a worried voice asked him. He realized it was Renee who had pulled him down. "Are you trying to get us killed?"

"What do you mean?" Anthony asked.

"We are trying to hide here and plan. You were blowing our cover!" Renee chastised him. He noticed two other girls behind her.

"Okay, sorry. What's the plan?"

"Well, uh...we don't know yet. We were going to-" Renee's gazed shifted to the movie screen. A female silhouette had covered up the majority of the image. Anthony recognized the wavy hairstyle and slim figure; it must have been Celia. The _EMPLOYEES ONLY_ door she had taken must have lead to the projector room. Suddenly another shadow appeared: a serpentine creature with fangs like knives. It struck as quickly as lightning, and Celia fell with a scream.

The piercing sound of glass shattering filled the spacious room. That could only mean one thing; the python had crashed through into the theater. The three hunters and Anthony all popped up in unison and started shooting at the snake, though it didn't do any good. Anthony didn't know how to kill the monster. He knew the legend of Apollo and the python, and remembered almost every detail about the story except for how the python had died. With lethal accuracy the serpent bit Renee, and her two lieutenants, before it charged at Anthony.

"Helios, stop this! I can help you!" Anthony cried out in desperation. To his shock, the python actually slowed, and Helios appeared before him. He didn't look like much, just a tiny thirteen-year-old kid with pinkish skin and messy brown hair, but Anthony knew that inside of that innocent boy there was a god with impossible power.

"Speak wisely, boy. Should your tongue trip I shall lay you low without a second thought. What do you have to offer me?" he asked, his pale blue eyes surveying Anthony with careful scrutiny.

"I...I heard you back there. You say an enemy of Apollo is a friend of yours. I qualify for that! Sure, Apollo is my dad, but he's a scumbag. I don't want anything to do with him. And I know that you want me as your host instead of him. I'm better suited for sun magic, and I already have godly blood. I can help you," Anhtony explained. He hoped he had said enough to save himself.

Helios stared him down. Anthony held his breath until he thought he would burst. "Hmph," Helios grunted, and turned away. "Come with me."

Anthony had no choice but to follow. He walked out into the hall and into another theater. Anthony immediately started choking. The foul gas the snake produced filled the area, making Anthony feel like passing out. "Don't stop," Helios commanded, and the Python hissed in agreement.

Anthony walked down toward the enormous screen and noticed the rows of seats were full of unconscious people. He saw Wilow conked out with her face in a bucket of popcorn, and Josie sprawled across several seats. Allie was laying upside down, barely staying on her seat, with her hand laying on Thalia next to her. Even the goddess Artemis had fallen victim to the venom, and she sat comatose in a red velvet chair. Beams of sunlight wound themselves together above a row of seats and dropped Celia, Renee, and the other two hunters down, forming a tangled mess of bodies. Then in the very front row Anthony saw the reason they were there. Piper McLean sat sleeping there, her tan skin practically glowing from her beauty. The small puffs of breath she was letting out blew a braid off of her face and then sucked it back, over and over. It was amazing that even unconscious, she was one of the most gorgeous people Anthony had ever seen. Her moviestar dad, Tristan McLean, was sitting next to her. He was ruggedly handsome himself, but guys quite simply weren't attractive to Anthony.

"Prove your allegiance to me, Anthony. Show me that I can trust you," Helios told him.

"How? A vow on the River Styx?"

"Don't be stupid. When Selene and I are done with this world, there will be no River Styx. No, a deed to show your loyalty. You will kill Piper McLean."

Anthony's eyes widened. He couldn't figure out a way out of this. "Isn't she already dying?"

"Yes, and that is why you should have no trouble ending her misery," Helios said. "Now, take the shot, or I will show you a fate worse than death."

Shaking, Anthiny drew his bow. He clumsily pulled an arrow from his quiver and put it in place. He couldn't do it. But he had to. But he couldn't. He wasn't a killer. He was hardly a fighter at all. Healing was his strong point.

Then it hit him. He was in a room full of warriors, all in need of healing. If he could somehow revive them-

"Enough dawdling! Fire!" Helios screamed. And Anthony did. But not at Piper. And not at the snake. Not at Helios either. No, he fired his arrow straight at Artemis. He hope she had done enough, channeling all of his healing power into that arrow. So much that his vision started to go black around the edges and his awareness dimmed. He saw his arrow explode in a flash of golden light, dousing all of the hunters with magic as sweet as nectar. They all shot to awareness. "No! Trickery!" Helios shouted. "Kill him!" The snake started toward him, but Piper right next to him had woken too. As the snake charged she whipped out her dagger and stabbed him in the forehead, just as Apollo had so many centuries ago, Anthony remembered. He fell into unconsciousness just as the python exploded into golden dust.


	16. XVI - Celia

Celia

The theater was in chaos.

Hunters ran every which way, shouting to each other and checking for wounds. Celia had no idea what was going on. After all, she had been unconscious while most of the action happened. From what she could remember, she had been bitten by the stupid snake _again_. She didn't really feel like the hero she was supposed to be. But she wasn't complaining; the danger seemed to have passed, and she was still alive.

Judging by the enormous pile of golden dust sitting in the front of the theater, the python was gone, and Helios with it. She saw Willow slowly standing, and ran to her friend. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I don't know about Anthony, though." She then noticed Anthony sprawled on the floor among the golden dust, either unconscious or dead. A beautiful Native American girl stood over him. She and Willow ran down to see what was going on.

"Oh my gods, is he dead?" Celia asked.

"Don't worry, I've brought people back from the dead before," the girl said. "Wake up!" she shouted. Her words rolled over Celia and suddenly she felt like she was hopped up on more caffeine than physically possible. Anthony shot to his feet and looked around, perfectly healthy.

"How did you do that?" Celia asked in wonder.

"Charmspeak. Some Aphrodite kids have it," the girl explained.

"Aphrodite kids? Oh, you're-"

"Piper McLean, nice to meet you," Piper said, holding out her hand. Celia shook took it, and Piper pumped it vigorously. "Thanks for saving me and my dad. Who was that guy? And his snake?"

Celia felt the overpowering urge to tell Piper everything that she knew. Charmspeak may have seemed like something dainty and delicate, but Celia could see that it made Piper ridiculously powerful. She explained the whole story, but Anthony jumped in to finish when Celia reached the part where she got bitten. "Wow," Piper said when he had finished. "You guys really are incredible."

"But why you?" Thalia butted in. "Why would Helios target you when you aren't aiding the quest at all?"

"I think I get it," Anthony said. "Think of the prophecy, the _new_ prophecy that Willow learned last night. What line might refer to Piper here?"

The lines of the prophecy raced through Celia's mind. She realized what Anthony meant. "Along with the seven of glories past. It means the seven demigods of the last great prophecy! They have to help us defeat Helios and Selene!" she shouted, excitement growing within her. She had heard stories about the war with Gaea, and she was excited to meet all seven of the heroes involved.

"It all makes sense now," Willow muttered. "Diomedes, back in Kentucky, he wasn't after us. He was after Hazel and Frank! And Tityus seemed to only be after Jason at Camp Half-Blood. They're just as important to the prophecy as we are, and Helios and Selene know it."

"But that can't be right," Piper interjected. "I mean, it makes sense, except that...well, not all of the seven are still alive." She sounded pretty choked up. "Leo..."

"No, I can feel it. That's the right interpretation," Willow said. "Maybe Leo didn't die. After did say that his death didn't feel quite right."

"But...no way. If Leo has been okay this whole time," Piper said, the sadness in her voice shifting to anger as she went on, "then where in Hades has he been?! I swear, if he's alive, I'm going to kill him!"

"Not if I do it first," an evil voice echoed through the chamber.

"Helios! He's still here!" Anthony screamed, just as the teen boy appeared between two unsuspecting hunters in a supernova of sunlight. Celia watched in horror as they shrieked and their bodies crumbled to ashes.

"To the moon chariot!" Artemis commanded, and Celia found herself at the front of the group of terrified hunters. They ran through the theater and into the long hallway. The sunlight burned away the walls and floor as it expanded behind them, and three more hunters fell to its power.

"Protect Lady Artemis!" Renee screamed at them. They were into the lobby now, but the hinters were dropping like flies. Only Thalia, Allie, Renee, Josie, Artemis, Piper, and her father were still with the group of three. "Keep going! We're almost there!"

Celia shoved all of her weight into the heavy glass doors and they swung open. The building was barely standing, but Celia could see their goal. A beautiful silver chariot pulled by four white stags was waiting on edge of the street.

Suddenly Artemis screamed as Helios's magic overtook her. "No!" Thalia shrieked, but Artemis didn't seem to be burning up like the others. She was a goddess, after all. Celia wanted to go back and help, but stopping was suicide.

"Don't stop!" Allie yelled. The barreled into the chariot, and the deer seemed to sense that things were urgent. They took to they sky, bounding off like Santa's reindeer. Renee came to her senses and started steering them away, the agonized screams of Artemis fading away.


End file.
